Book 2: Shadow Heart
by CrystalineDreamer
Summary: After the Fire Nation's failed attempt of the 'Siege of the North' Ling, Zuko, and Iroh find themselves on the run from both the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation. Loyalties will be tested, friendships will be broken, and Ling will have to choose which side she's truly on as well as come face-to-face with the person who single-handedly ruined her life.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING BUT MY CHARACTER LING. EVERYTHING ELSE IS OWNED BY THE CREATORS OF Avatar: The Last Airbender**

 **I don't mind constructive criticism as long as you aren't a jerk about it.**

 **So sorry this took so long but here it is.**

 **ENJOY:**

Chapter 1: Prologue

The girl refused to speak her new name. She hated it. And the caretaker wasn't letting up, which really sucked. That's why she was in the dark, freezing her pants off. They didn't think she was a fire-bender but they wanted to be safe since she was supposedly the daughter of not one but two traitors to the crown. She couldn't hide the evidence that she'd been disgraced. It was carved into her very skin with red lines and silvery hues.

She nearly laughed when the overseers refused to touch it. They were all a superstitious bunch and she found them idiotic and ridiculous. They believed they were so high and mighty but she was wise beyond her years, her parents had seen to that, and knew how to observe others and find the weaknesses in their armor. For all of their big talk, they were all terrified of disappointing the Fire Lord and were doing their best to follow his orders to the "T".

She wouldn't let them turn her into a weapon for their own gain but she would have to play the part in order to get out of this ordeal. She knew in that moment that she would have to adapt to the cruel environment if she wanted to survive and eventually escape this place.

It might take a few years but she was fine with that. She didn't have anything to go back to anymore nor would anyone take such a bad luck magnet like her.

So she would bide her time and learn from them. Learn how to turn herself into a weapon but not for their benefit. She would learn to hone her body to perfection so that she'd be able to survive. She would learn everything she could about which plants were poisonous and which weren't so that she would be able to survive in the wild. She would watch the fire-bending masters and study in private and learn to control her native element.

She smiled to herself as she heard the door open behind her. "Have a nice little time?" The chief overseer sneered at her.

The girl slowly turned to reveal her shivering hunched over figure. She wouldn't fight today, nor tomorrow, but eventually she would fight. She would fight to bring them all down.

"Well?" The chief overseer barked at her.

"Y-yes, sir." She stammered out while looking at the ground. Let them think they've won for now. In the future, she would be a force to be reckoned with.


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING BUT MY CHARACTER LING. EVERYTHING ELSE IS OWNED BY THE CREATORS OF Avatar: The Last Airbender**

 **I don't mind constructive criticism as long as you aren't a jerk about it.**

 **So sorry this took so long but here it is. Thank you for being patient.**

 **ENJOY:**

Chapter 2

Ling was absolutely bored out of her mind and she wasn't the only one, Zuko seemed to have had enough of his uncle's antics as well. Ling was standing on the outside wall next to Zuko, who was sitting down on the stone stairs leading to their spa area, trying not to throw a fireball at the old man.

As it turns out, after the Siege of the Northern Water Tribe failed, the Fire Nation, without Zhao to lead them, had turned tail and ran for their lives. General Iroh had told Ling that she'd been out for about three days and had managed to snag a little food and clean water from both the Fire Nation and the Water Tribe. Zuko hadn't been too happy about having limited portions and with one push into the water he had quickly shut his mouth until he'd dried himself off and Ling had pushed him in a second time, a third time, and a fourth time until he gave up. She wasn't going to deal with his anger anymore, now that her debt had been repaid.

Iroh had laughed at his nephew the entire time and told the young man to either wise up or get pushed in again by Ling. After the fourth push Ling had threatened to push Zuko in while he was sleeping if he even _thought_ about complaining about their lack of food as well as take a peek under her mask. Needless to say, the rest of the journey had been tense but Ling hadn't had to deal with any dissidence from Zuko.

They'd been at sea for three weeks and Ling had had to show them that if you boil the salt out of salt water and collect the condensation then you could safely drink the water. They'd done that until it rained and each had used whatever they could to collect the fresh water. Zuko seemed grateful that Ling had been able to save their sorry hides but he never voiced it. Ling didn't say anything about it and neither did the other two.

After three weeks, their clothes had been stiff from the sea salt and needless to say, Ling just about floated out of her body when she saw land approaching. Turns out, that the land was a resort-slash-spa and General Iroh was beside himself. Before he could do anything, however, Ling had made him wash his clothes first but afterwards, the man had basically ran to the town. Ling and Zuko had just shrugged to each other and followed since they'd already washed and dried their clothes.

 _"How long do you think he's going to stay here?" Zuko asked as they made their way to the town._

 _ **"Who knows? He did stay in that hot spring for a full day before he got captured by those earth-benders a while back."**_ _Ling signed and Zuko let out a huff._

 _"I figured as much but I'm praying that we can move on soon."_

 _Ling nodded to this._ _ **"At least they have real food and good clean water here that we don't have to doctor in any way."**_

 _"True but I really do hope that he doesn't go overboard." Zuko lamented and they both knew that his hope was, in this case, all in vain. Knowing the old General, he'd definitely get the royal treatment. They sighed together and trudged on to the town._

And here they now were, waiting for Iroh to get done with his massage because there was nothing else to do. Ling had almost gone off to practice her fire-bending but didn't in case there were spies hanging around the peaceful little town. One could never be too sure.

"Ahhh. This is what I've been missing." The old General said dreamily. "Who knew floating on a piece of driftwood for three weeks with no food or water, with sea vultures waiting to pluck out your liver could make one so tense." There had actually only been two and Ling had cooked the first one while the other flew off with a squawk. It hadn't tasted too bad but if Ling had a choice, she probably wouldn't eat it again.

When Zuko didn't respond, Iroh threw on his robe and knelt down next to his nephew. Zuko hadn't been talking a lot lately and it was starting to worry Ling, not that she would say anything but she'd given him space and knew that General Iroh would know what to say and do. "I see. It's the anniversary, isn't it?" Anniversary of what? What was she missing?

When Zuko glanced at her, she pretended that she was daydreaming. She acted as if she had felt his gaze and turned hers' away from the beautiful sight of the ocean. She cocked her head as if to ask what was wrong.

"Three years ago today, I was banished." Zuko's voice shook with the remainder of the emotion he'd probably felt three years ago and Ling finally understood. She made to move away but Iroh stopped her with a raised hand. "I lost it all. I want it back." Despite not being able to see his face, Ling could hear the determination in his voice and internally shook her head. He was never going to up. "I want the Avatar. I want my honor, my throne. I want my father not to think I'm worthless." _No, you're priceless,_ Ling thought of the phrase her mother would utter to her when someone had told her that she was worthless. In that moment, she missed her mother deeply.

"I'm sure he doesn't." Iroh said. "Why would he banish you if he doesn't care?" Ling had to stifle the urge to smash Iroh's head through a wall or two. Zuko got up angrily and stomped away. Ling didn't even think about following him. She would maybe go later but right now he needed to be alone. "Er, that came out wrong, didn't it?"

"You think so?" Ling quietly asked sarcastically. Iroh acted as if he hadn't heard her and went back to his massage.

A little later, Ling decided it was time to check on Zuko and make sure he hadn't killed himself yet.

She made her way to the outskirts of the town and when she heard running water, she made her way to that. Turns out that it was a waterfall and Zuko was meditating in front of it. Ling was standing a few feet behind him until she got a brilliantly crazy idea. Without thinking it all the way through, she ran, jumped over Zuko, and cannonballed right in the middle of the little pool which was surprisingly deep.

"What the-?" She heard Zuko sputter and turned around to face him.

 _ **"You do know that part of meditation is staying in touch with your surroundings, right?"**_ She asked him and he looked as if he didn't know what to say. Ling climbed out of the pool and wrung her hair out.

"Why are you here?" Zuko asked as steam began to rise off of both of them.

Ling just shrugged _._ _ **"I wanted to make sure you hadn't got yourself in a jam like your uncle did."**_

"Funny." Was Zuko's only response.

 _ **"If you want me to leave, I will."**_ She made to turn away.

"Wait." Zuko called but didn't say anything after that. To Ling, it seemed like he was at a loss for words.

 _ **"You want to spar?"**_ She asked and his brow rose. _**"No weapons, no bending, just good old fashioned sparing."**_

"Sure, just don't get mad when I beat you." Zuko took his stance.

 _ **"Excuse you, but who is the master here?"**_ Ling asked as she took hers.

"Only at fire-bending." Zuko countered.

 _ **"Just for that, I'm not going easy on you."**_

"First one to ten wins?" Zuko asked and Ling nodded in agreement.

Zuko charged at her as she charged at him.

* * *

Zuko and Ling made their way back to the little seaside village feeling better than they had in a while. Ling glanced sidelong at Zuko, just observing how the closer they got to the village the more he pulled on that mask of anger and indifference. Zuko didn't say anything about it. He was practically used to her scrutiny. What bothered him was that she could read him so easily at times when even he couldn't figure himself out. He wondered how she'd gotten that good but didn't want to ask. He didn't want it to seem like he was going soft.

They made it back to their hotel at dusk and went their separate ways. Ling had gotten a room separate to them and none had said a word about it. He didn't blame her as sharing a room with his uncle was an experience he wouldn't wish on anyone. The old man snored and mumbled in his sleep. He was also insistent that Zuko talk about his feelings and when he did, he gave him some words of wisdom that didn't always make sense. His uncle was a wildcard and Zuko never knew what the old man was going to cook up next.

Ling was better at handling his uncle but even she couldn't control him fully. Sometimes it was funny. Other times, she would push his uncle onto him so that she could get a little peace and quiet. It was those times that, even though she had a mask, Zuko could feel her smiling triumphantly at him. Those times always annoyed him but he'd had no choice but to entertain his uncle.

Shaking his head of those thoughts he took a bath and thought more of what their next move would be. After figuratively running in circles he gave up and tried to sleep but sleep seemed to elude him as well. He glanced over at his uncle who was snoring so loudly he was afraid that the hotel would be blown away. He inwardly blamed his uncle's snoring for the reason he couldn't sleep.

Ling reached the outskirts of the town. The sky was a wonderful blue with white puffy clouds sailing across it. It was such a lovely day and she'd been restless so she'd gone for a run, a swim, climbed one of the small rock outcrops, and walked the rest of the way back. She was still restless however and didn't know what else to do.

She should probably leave soon. Without her, they would be less recognizable but with Zuko's scar, they'd still stand out. She didn't know what to do anymore. When they'd had the ship to tote them around, it was easy planning what she would do next and after two and a half years, it was more of a routine. Now that she didn't have that routine, there was nothing she could go off of to plan her next move. She didn't like it.

Ling looked around and noticed a royal ship in the harbor and tensed. A royal Fire Nation ship was in the harbor where they were coincidentally staying. She could run away and disappear and everyone would be none-the-wiser. But Iroh was still in the village as well as Zuko and she couldn't leave them to that fate. Whatever it was.

Her debt was paid to Zuko even though he never knew about it but she'd come to see him more as a friend than an acquaintance and her stupid conscious wouldn't let her leave either of them to fend for themselves.

Ling calculated in her head who could be on the royal and ended up with Azula. The Fire Lord would never leave his palace unless something drastic caught his attention. A Royal ambassador would have no reason to come to the sleepy port town unless on vacation but since Zuko and Iroh were both here, there could only be one person crafty enough to capture them. Azula. Just thinking about her tormentor was enough to make Ling want to turn around and never return. She couldn't stand the cunning, manipulative, lying girl.

She found Zuko and Iroh in their room with Iroh going through some seashells that he'd picked up from the beach. Some of them were pretty but she couldn't understand why he'd chosen a few of the other ones. Both males were in their robes and Ling only hoped that they had clothes underneath them or that no mishaps would happen in her presence.

Their robes were a light gray and had dark-red color for the sashes that tied them. They were both long but not long enough for either one to trip over them.

Azula wasn't with them yet.

"Ling! Look at this awesome catch! Beautiful, aren't they?" Iroh exclaimed and not wanting to crush his spirit she signed that, yes, they were pretty. He turned to Zuko, who hadn't been paying attention and said, "Look at these magnificent shells! I'll be enjoying them for years to come." He finished with a serene look on his face.

Zuko didn't seem to be having _any_ of his uncle's happiness. "We don't need any more useless things. You forget, we have to carry everything ourselves now."

It was right after Zuko finished his sentence that Ling loosed a small knife at the intruder that sat themselves down at the small table in the corner of the room.

Azula easily dodged and all eyes flew to her. She was dressed in her royal armor with not a hair out of place. "Hello, brother." Azula drawled and Ling tensed. Azula seemed perfectly at ease but Ling knew that she was coiled like a cobra and ready to strike. "Uncle. And _you_ ," her voice took on a more venomous tone as she looked at Ling. "How dare you throw a knife at me. I'll let it slide, just this once. You were only doing your job as my brother's bodyguard. But if it happens again, you will be punished in ways that you've never imagined." _I doubt that,_ Ling thought to herself but nodded demurely at the Princess.

"What? No 'yes princess? Don't you know any manners?" Azula took a threatening step forward and Ling forced herself to stay relaxed. "Maybe I should teach you a lesson right now!"

"Forgive her, Azula, she cannot speak." Iroh jumped in for her but she still refused to move.

"Oh, well then-" Azula didn't look too happy to be cut off by Zuko next.

"What are you doing here?" Zuko asked in a dark tone and Ling didn't really blame him. Whenever Azula was around, everyone was on guard.

Azula wasn't phased in the slightest and kept acting like she owned the place. "In my country," she said as she examined a shell, "we exchange a pleasant 'hello' before asking questions." She got out of the chair to come stand directly in front of the three of them. "Have you become uncivilized so soon, Zuzu?"

That seemed to be the button to push as Zuko practically yelled, "Don't call me that!"

"To what do we owe this honor?" Iroh asked as he bowed.

"Hmm, must be a family trait. Both of you so quick to get to the _point_." Azula emphasized this by crushing one of the shells in her hand. "I come with a message from home. Father's changed his mind, family is suddenly _very_ important to him. He's heard rumor of plans to overthrow him, treacherous plots. Family are the only ones you can really trust." _I may have started some of those rumors,_ Ling thought to herself but made sure not to show her amusement that they'd gone all the way to her intended target. She'd done it more out of boredom than anything else. "Father regrets your banishment. He wants you home." Azula turned away as she said this and it only confirmed what Ling already knew. Azula was lying through her teeth. Turning away in guilt as Azula had done was a manipulative tactic to make the target believe the story. "Didn't you _hear_ me?" Azula went on when Zuko didn't say anything. "You should be _happy_! Excited! Grateful! I just gave you good news."

Iroh managed to stop Azula from ranting on but it didn't end well. "I'm sure your brother simply needs a moment-"

"Don't interrupt, uncle!" Azula spit out in such a rapid way that the words almost blended together. She turned back to Zuko. "I still haven't heard my 'thank you'. I'm not a messenger. I didn't have to come all this way."

"Father…regrets….he…wants me…back?" Zuko's tone was one of disbelief and Ling felt like screaming that Azula was lying. Even after everything, Zuko still had a one-track mind that revolved around him getting his father's approval.

"I can see you need time to take this in." Azula acknowledged comfortingly. "I'll come to call on you tomorrow. Good evening." And with that, the princess took her leave.

* * *

Later that night they were all in Iroh's and Zuko's room. Zuko was ecstatic about going home and wasn't paying attention to either of them. Iroh and Ling had exchanged looks and both knew that Azula was a manipulative liar and didn't care who was caught in the crosshairs.

At the moment, Ling was being quiet in her little corner while she watched Zuko pack whatever he had. Iroh was sitting in front of the window thinking about what Azula had said and Ling found no reason to interrupt him.

"We're going home!" Zuko said for the fifth time. "After three years, it's unbelievable."

"It _is_ unbelievable." Iroh finally said but it seemed like he wanted to believe the lie too. "I've never known my brother to regret anything." _This should tell you something!_ Ling shouted in her head.

"Didn't you hear Azula?" Zuko asked his uncle. "Father's realized how important family is to him. He _cares_ about me!" The jab finally pushed his uncle over the edge.

"I care about you!" Iroh yelled at the banished prince. "And if Ozai wants you back well, I think it may not be for the reason's you imagine.

Zuko turned away from Iroh as he snapped, "You don't know how my father feels about me!" _Zuko, everyone knows how your father feels about you, you idiot._ If only she could use her voice. Ling entertained the idea briefly but decided against it. It would be best for them all if she didn't. Not now. "You don't know anything!"

Iroh just looked at his nephew sadly. "Zuko, I only meant that in our family, things are not always what they seem."

Zuko now turned back to his uncle with a snap. "I think you are exactly what you seem; a lazy, mistrustful, shallow old man who's always been jealous of his brother." With that barb sticking out of Iroh's chest, Zuko stomped away from his uncle, only stopping to look at Ling. "And what about you?" Ling detected a little hope but she wouldn't give it to him. Not this time.

" _ **Not this time. I don't trust Azula as far as I can throw her and your uncle is right and you know it. Eventually you're going to run off a cliff if you keep running from the truth and we all know how that usually ends."**_ Ling told him and if she wasn't used to it already, the look on Zuko's face would've frozen her in place.

"You're just jealous because I actually have a family that cares about me." At those words, Ling almost beat him senseless.

" _ **Your funeral."**_ Was all she said back before she headed towards her room. Iroh didn't even attempt to stop her this time.

* * *

Zuko woke early, got a bath, dressed in his robe, and made for Azula's ship. She'd said she'd call for him but he couldn't wait any longer. He was halfway down the stone steps carved into the mountain when a familiar voice called behind him.

"Wait!" His uncle called. He was dressed in his usual robe and top-only body armor. "Don't leave without me."

"Uncle." Zuko said in surprise. "You've changed your mind!" Zuko felt like his face would split from smiling so big.

"Family sticks together, right." His uncle told him but someone was missing.

"What about Ling?" He asked his uncle but his uncle just shook his head. "We're finally going home." Zuko didn't want to focus on Ling and about how she'd become somewhat of a friend. He was glad his uncle didn't comment on her as they made their way down to the ship. Their friendship was probably in tatters now anyways.

He shouldn't have said what he did but since she wasn't here, he couldn't apologize. Still, he thought that she would've actually said goodbye or something. He just couldn't wrap his head around how she couldn't see things from his point of view nor how she couldn't believe that he was wanted at home again. He would've given her a top position as his guard and anything else she wanted, but no. She chose to live like a vagrant instead of in luxury. What kind of person chooses that?

Him and his uncle made it to the docks where the soldiers had lined the way to the ramp of the ship with Azula standing at the top, looking down on them. He didn't like how she did that but he would be up there with her and his father in the Fire Nation soon enough.

His uncle trailed behind him as they made their way up the ramp. Zuko couldn't stop looking straight ahead, they were almost there as he finally managed to glance out of the corner of his eyes at the soldiers. Royal Guard, and by the looks of things, they'd gotten newer and better uniforms. They always got the best because they were the best. They had to be since they were guarding the Royal Family.

"Brother, Uncle, welcome." All three bowed to each other. "I'm so glad you decided to come. Shame your bodyguard couldn't make it though." The soldiers fell in line behind him and his uncle.

"Are we ready to depart, your highness?" The captain asked Azula.

"Set our course for home, captain." Azula smiled down at them.

Home. Zuko wasn't sure if he said it out loud or not but it was all he could think of. That is, until the captain had to open his mouth again.

"You heard the princess! Raise the anchor! We're taking the prisoners hom-" Even though he stopped himself, the damage was already done.

His uncle leapt into action before he did and managed to clear a path. Best of the best or no, no one was a match for his uncle. But Zuko wasn't going to try to escape. He threw a soldier into the water and stomped towards Azula and yelled, "You lied to me!" _Both Ling and uncle were right._

"Like I've never done _that_ before." Azula said before she turned her back and motioned to her guards to take care of him.

Zuko easily dispersed the fireballs that they sent his way as well as knock them off the side of the boat by a well placed kick and punch. He formed fire-daggers in his hands as he prepared to face his sister. He didn't hear what his uncle shouted at him as he was too focused on fighting Azula and making her pay for what she almost accomplished. She, unfortunately, managed to dodge all of his attacks as well as knock him off balance.

He managed to regain his balance but kept a few feet from her.

"You know, father blames uncle for the loss at the North Pole and he considers _you_ a _miserable failure_ for not finding the Avatar. Why would he want you back home? Except to lock you up so that you can no longer embarrass him." That was the thing about Azula, she knew what hurt the worst and cut it wide open.

It only served to make him angrier and lunge at her. Again, she dodged all of his attacks but he wasn't giving up just yet. She managed to scratch him on his head and catch his wrist. The triumph in her eyes as she held his wrist was enough for him to jump back out of her hold but he tumbled down the second ramp on the boat. He looked up in time to see her about to shoot a lightning bolt at him but his uncle intervened and pointed it at the cliff face instead. His uncle kicked Azula off the side of the boat and into the water and they made their escape.

They ran and ran until they couldn't run anymore and stopped by a stream.

"I think we're safe here." His uncle managed to pant out.

"I wouldn't be so sure." A feminine voice that Zuko didn't recognize, said from above them.

Zuko was on his feet in an instant and ready to fire but all he saw was Ling reclining on a branch above them.

* * *

Ling knew the moment Zuko walked out and then Iroh after him. She stayed in her tree and watched as they made their way to the stupid ship and Azula. She wasn't going with nor would she rescue them. They got themselves into this and they could get themselves out, especially after what Zuko had said to her last night.

They were mere specks now. She'd wait until they left the bay and then she would continue to wonder until she found the Avatar or something else to occupy her time.

After a few minutes the fireworks erupted and Ling figured that one way or another, they'd found out it was a trap. She didn't let herself think about the fact that they might be able to escape but if they did, where would they go? She didn't particularly care. The old General could take care of himself and Zuko would be with him. She turned to leave but saw two dots running for where she was and decided to hang back and see what they were planning on doing. She blamed her stupid emotions for being so sentimental and vowed to find a way to ignore it.

They didn't even notice as she ran through the trees above them until they stopped at a bend in a stream.

"I think we're safe here." Iroh said and Ling made a split-second decision to freak him out more.

"I wouldn't be so sure." She said as she reclined on her branch. Zuko whirled so fast that Ling was sure that he would spin right into the stream.

"Wh-Wha-What?" He stammered out. "You…you can talk!"

"Yeah, and your uncle knew all along." She had to clear her throat as she wasn't used to using her voice all that much. "It was to protect me but it's none of your business."

"Are you kidding me!" Zuko practically yelled.

"You might wanna be careful with how loud you are, there could be rockslides or your sister could hear us." That shut him up. "I'm guessing it didn't work out for you, _did it_?"

Ling was still furious with Zuko and she wasn't about to let him forget about what he said to her. It seemed Zuko was thinking along the same lines. "Ling, I said something that I shouldn't have and-"

He didn't even get to finish because Ling hopped down from her tree and punched him in the face. She didn't break his nose but blood still spurted out of it. "I don't forgive you." She turned around as Zuko held his bleeding nose. "You don't say that to someone. Ever! Especially when that someone saved your sorry life from the likes of Zhao, or have you forgotten?" She'd turned around again and yelled the last few words right in his face. He was both shocked and angered but whether it was because she could talk, she punched him, or she yelled at him, she didn't know and didn't care. She turned to Iroh this time. "You're both fugitives now so I suggest you change your appearance unless you wanna stick out like a sore thumb." Iroh only nodded before he looked over to his nephew.

Zuko's nose had stopped bleeding and Ling watched as he pulled a knife from his boot and cut his ponytail off. It honestly looked stupid to Ling as he was left with a weird diamond patch of hair on his head but she didn't say anything. Iroh took the knife from his nephew and cut his bun off. He also took off his armor but left his robe on.

"Since you're now talking, you might want to take the mask off, my dear." Iroh told her. "It only muffles your voice."

"True." Ling shrugged and removed her mask. She heard Zuko's intake of breath as he beheld her lightning scared right side. From her elbow to her shoulder blade to the bottom of her ear was all jagged white and red lightning scars.

"How?" He asked breathlessly.

"That is a story for another time, another place, and another lifetime." Ling answered him.

"And what should we call you now, my dear?" Iroh asked and Ling knew what he was talking about.

"You may still call me Ling for now but we need to get going. They'll be combing the area for you two." She told them and they all moved to walk but Zuko was in front of her in an instant. "Unless you want to be punched again, I suggest you get out of my way."

Zuko ignored her. "Ling isn't your real name? What else are you hiding?"

Ling just sighed. "Another time, another place, and another lifetime."

* * *

 **Thank you to MusicLover315 for being the first to review my story. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING BUT MY CHARACTER LING. EVERYTHING ELSE IS OWNED BY THE CREATORS OF Avatar: The Last Airbender**

 **I don't mind constructive criticism as long as you aren't a jerk about it.**

 **So sorry this took so long but here it is. Thank you for being patient.**

 **ENJOY:**

Chapter 3

They'd been traveling together for a few days now and Zuko couldn't figure out why Ling was still with them. After she punched him in the face, he was sure that she would up and leave them. She proved him wrong as she actually stayed and helped gather enough food for them to stay healthy. They weren't able to completely fill their bellies as Zuko had wished and it was starting to grate on his nerves. He didn't know how long he could take it anymore.

His uncle, on the other hand, kept wondering off only to come back with a plant or other that Ling would immediately throw out. Zuko guessed that he was lucky she stayed or else his uncle would've killed them both by now.

The one thing that Zuko couldn't get over was the fact that she made him help out with scavenging for food. Before he was banished and even a little after, he'd never have to get his own food, much less cook it. He tried not to let his temper show through for fear that she would punch him again and break his nose for sure this time. The only reason he didn't hit back the first time was because of the steel in her eyes that was daring him to try something. She was technically a fire-bending master.

Zuko would only admit it to himself but she kind of scared him. Not as much as Azula but it was close. He'd much rather have Ling on his side than Azula any day.

The other thing that he couldn't get over was the fact that she also forced him to cut the diamond patch of hair that was left after he cut his ponytail off. She'd stated that he had looked ridiculous with it and proceeded to shave it all the way down to his scalp. His uncle hadn't interfered and Zuko wondered if he was just as scared of her as he was. He managed to make himself stay still until she was done. After she was done, she'd just walked away like nothing happened. His hair was growing back a little but it was little more than fuzz on his head. She hadn't bothered to cut her own hair since Azula had only seen the top half of her face.

Zuko stumbled back into the clearing where he had left his uncle and saw that Ling wasn't there yet. Ling had also stolen some clothes for them to wear and though he didn't like them very much, they looked like they were just travelers.

His uncle was squatting in front of something that Zuko couldn't see but could tell that his uncle was deep in thought. "I didn't find anything to eat. I can't live like this! I wasn't meant to be a fugitive!" Zuko exclaimed, breaking the silence and kicking the ground. "This is impossible!"

"Well, I suggest you get used to it fast, your highness, or else you won't last very long." Ling said as she came into the clearing. "I found some roots and berries that should hold us over for a bit." She set them down in her, now unused, mask and walked over to where his uncle was squatting and sniffing something.

"Uncle? What are you doing?" Zuko asked as he walked over to the older man.

"You're looking at the rare white dragon bush. It's leaves make a tea so delicious it's _heartbreaking_." His uncle replied while clasping his hands together and looking as if he were about to serenade someone. Zuko glanced at Ling who just lifted her eyebrows as if to say 'what can you do?'. There was something oddly familiar about the way she did that. "That, or it's the white jade bush, which is poisonous." His uncle took on a more dark tone as he stared at the plant.

"If you're not sure then I wouldn't even _think_ about messing with that plant." Ling said as she squatted down next to his uncle.

"We need food, not tea." Zuko tried to explain but it didn't seem like his uncle was getting it. "I'm going fishing." There was nothing else he could say without exploding at his uncle and figured that with Ling sitting right there that it wouldn't be a good idea.

"Do you know which it is?" He heard his uncle ask her.

"I only memorized plants and other things that would keep me alive and fight off any kind of infection. Anything else was pointless to me." Was her reply before he walked out of earshot. He forgot to grab some of the food Ling had returned with.

* * *

Zuko stomped back to the clearing with his miserable catch an hour or so later. He was terrible at fishing and only managed to spear one tiny fish that wasn't even enough for a snack. He wondered what Ling and his uncle would say. His uncle probably wouldn't say anything but Ling? She was more of a wildcard nowadays.

He still hadn't apologized and didn't think that he would be able to anytime soon. Ling seemed to not want to hear any of it and Zuko wasn't going to destroy their silent truce to not talk about it anymore.

The sight that greeted Zuko when he entered the clearing was not one that he had expected. Ling was pacing and Zuko had _never_ seen her pace before so that was a sign that something wasn't right. She had an exasperated look on her face when she looked up at Zuko and motioned for him to go to his uncle.

"Zuko, remember that plant that I thought was tea?" His uncle hadn't turned around to look at him yet and he already knew what his uncle was going to say.

"You didn't." Zuko said in disbelief.

"I did." His uncle replied as he turned for Zuko to see. "And it wasn't."

Red splotches covered his uncle's body as well as patches of whelps. It shocked Zuko so, that it caused him to drop his makeshift spear and recoil from his uncle.

His uncle stood up and began scratching himself. "When the rash spreads to my throat, I will stop breathing. But look what I found!" He pulled a branch with red berries from behind his back. "These are bacui berries! Known to cure the poison of the white jade plant. That, or macaola berries that cause blindness."

Zuko hurriedly grabbed the branch from his uncle. "We're not taking any more chances with these plants!" Zuko hurled the branch into the air. A loud _crack_ split the peace of the forest and both turned to see that Ling had splintered it into a thousand tiny pieces with some lightning.

"What? I wanted to make sure that he didn't get any ideas as he did with the first one." She shrugged. Zuko didn't blame her and silently thanked her.

"We need to get help." Zuko stated.

His uncle was scratching himself even more now. "But where are we going to go? We're enemies of the Earth Kingdom and fugitives from the Fire Nation."

"He's got a point." Ling had come to stand next to Zuko now but still with a little bit more distance between them than usual. "The way we should go should be the lesser of two evils."

"If the Earth Kingdom discovers us, they'll have us killed." Zuko theorized.

"But if the Fire Nation discovers us, we'll be turned over to Azula." His uncle finished his thought for him.

They all looked at each other and nodded in understanding. "Earth Kingdom it is." They all said in unison.

"I'll search ahead." Ling told them. "Make sure it's safe and if there's a village with sufficient healers."

"Fine." Zuko huffed.

"Make sure he doesn't get into anything else or else he _could_ die." She told him as she traipsed off.

"You know, you should apologize to her. She is helping us even after what you said to her." His uncle told him. He knew he was right, he just didn't want to admit it.

* * *

Ling managed to find a decent sized village and show the others where it was. Zuko had managed to keep his uncle out of anything else and she was relieved at not finding a dead Iroh and grieving Zuko.

Now, they were getting Iroh treated. Zuko sat on a bench with some new clothes and a hat that Ling had managed to steal from another smaller village. Ling had stolen a loose dress that she could easily shed if need be. She still had her other clothes on underneath but if she wanted to fit in she would have to look the part. The dress was more of a quipao like the one that the bounty hunter woman had but with a sash holding it close to Ling's body. She hadn't gotten Iroh anything as he basically fit in already.

"You three must not be from around here." The healer, a girl close to Ling's age, observed to them all. "We know better than to touch the white jade, much less make it into tea and drink it." Iroh had had fun recounting his story and even got a few giggles out of the girl. The girl was plain but pretty. Her skin was soft crème color and her hair was a medium shade of brown and pulled back into a braid. Ling couldn't tell if the dress she wore was her uniform or just her style. It didn't look bad on the girl as it tied right under the bust and was white at the top and peach under the ribbon used to tie it.

Iroh gave a nervous laugh. "Oops." He was doing his best to seem charming but Ling just shook her head from her spot in a corner.

"So, where're you traveling from?" The healer asked.

Zuko stood up so abruptly that Ling thought he was going to storm out. Answering any type of prying questions wasn't his forte. "Yes, we're travelers." And now Ling wanted to smash his head against a wall or two. He could give them away before they even got started.

"Do you have names?" The young healer asked without skipping a beat.

"Names? Of course we have names." Ling almost rolled her eyes at Zuko while the healer batted Iroh's hand away from scratching his face. Zuko looked over at Ling and she just shrugged. "I'm Li, the girl over there is Jia, and that's my uncle Mushi." It all came out more like a question than an answer. Iroh didn't seem to like his new name but Ling thought that hers' was actually pretty good for coming up with it so fast.

"Yes, my nephew was named after his father so we just call him junior." Iroh told the healer much to Zuko's annoyance.

"Li, Jia, and Mushi, huh." The girl restated to herself. "My name is Song. You three look like you could use a good meal. Why don't you stay for dinner?" The girl's soft spoken voice was offset by the fact that she kept swatting Iroh's hand when he made to scratch himself. Ling thought the girl was kind of an idiot for inviting three strangers to dine with her but figured that a home cooked meal would be good for all of them. Especially when she'd hardly eaten anything so that the other two could have more food in their stomachs. They weren't used to roughing it at all and she figured that she would make it easier on them. Why she was doing it? She didn't know but figured that it was her stupid conscience again.

"Sorry, but we need to be moving on." Zuko said and both Ling and Iroh looked at each other. Neither agreed with Zuko on this one.

"That's too bad." Song said as she put away the salve she had used on Iroh. "My mom always makes too much roast duck."

Roast duck was Iroh's favorite and it seemed like he was not going to let Zuko get in the way of it. He sidled up to Song and asked her where she lived and how far it was from the healing house.

Turns out that it wasn't far but they had to wait for her day to end. So they did, with Zuko giving his uncle angry glares but he refused to comment on it for fear that he would reveal some vital information.

Ling didn't talk much either. She didn't feel like talking with a girl who seemed to only see the good side of people when there was obviously a war going on but she wasn't about to pass up a nice home-cooked meal. She'd just be on her guard the whole time and would make sure that the girl hadn't recognized them and turned them into the Fire Nation. If she did…Ling hoped it wouldn't come to that.

The girl seemed content to stare at Zuko and Ling finally understood why she'd invited them to dinner. She fancied Zuko and probably thought that he and Ling were either brother and sister or cousins. She didn't really blame her and Ling found it applicable for future purposes. She tucked it in the back of her mind for later.

* * *

Ling's patience was starting to grow thin when Song had finally finished with the last person and cleaned up her work station. She tried engaging Zuko in small talk but Zuko was being too much of a 'Broody McBroody-Pants' to notice which led Song to try to engage Ling in conversation.

"So are you on your way to Ba Sing Se? A lot of refugees that come through here say that that's where they're going." The girl said in a rather chipper manner.

Ling didn't know how to respond so she just signed that they didn't have any set plans yet. After giving Ling a disgruntled look, Iroh translated for her.

"Oh, so you're a mute." Song observed. "Is it because of those scars on your right side? I might have some salve that can help." She sounded a little too cheery and hopeful and it struck a chord within Ling.

" _ **Yes, and they're old scars so I don't think that any amount of salve can salvage anything now."**_ It came out more harsh than she intended but it wasn't something she wanted to visit right now. Especially with Zuko trying to act like he was still in his own little world and not eavesdropping nor with his sister probably on their tails.

Song's shoulders slumped at the news. "Oh, you're right. I'm sorry."

" _ **It is what it is."**_ Was all Ling said while adding a shrug to show that she wasn't too mad about it.

Iroh then engaged Song in talk of what her mother usually cooked and if it were truly okay to have them over for dinner. Ling quit listening and turned to Zuko who was now looking at her with a hard expression in place. She cocked her head at him.

Zuko bent his head down and away from the other two who weren't paying them any attention in the slightest. "Why didn't you just _tell_ her instead of acting like you can't talk?"

"Because I want to be left alone and not questioned as to how I got these scars." Ling told him flippantly and charged ahead to join Iroh and Song.

She told herself that she wasn't acting like a two year old but she didn't believe it. She didn't care all that much either. She just wanted…What did she want? She didn't have an answer for herself.

For the longest time, she was content to play bodyguard for the fallen prince since it meant her survival. Now, the prince was a fugitive as was his uncle and she was taking care of both of them. Not for the first time in her life, she cursed her upbringing and her parents instilling lessons of always doing good even when there's never a thank you. Surely they must've known that not everyone wants or needs help! It was ultimately what led to their downfall.

If she wasn't with company at the moment, she would've screamed or thrown a rock or _something._ She didn't understand people like Song who were always so trusting and not suspicious in the least. But she guessed that the girl had a peaceful life in this village and chose to ignore all the bad that was going on. This place _was_ relatively far from the fighting lines.

* * *

They reached Song's house by dusk which was only about a ten minute walk from the healing house. Her mother had greeted them kindly and made a joke that now her and her daughter wouldn't have to eat roast duck for three days straight and that she was glad to have the company.

The woman had grayed over her whole head but it wasn't thin yet and she had it pinned back in a twist of sorts. Zuko could tell that she had probably been very beautiful once but those days were far behind her. She was dressed like her daughter in the way that they both had a sash holding up their dresses underneath their breasts. But where Song wore one that had a light peach in it, their hostess' dress was off-white from head to toe.

His uncle took it in stride and even complimented the woman on her beauty while he and Ling tried not to noticeably cringe. Song had laughed along with her mother and went to help her mother in the kitchen while all three sat at the low table. Zuko and his uncle were on one side while Ling took up residence opposite his uncle, leaving a place for Song. Her mother would take the head as she was the head of the household. No one had deigned to ask about her husband and Zuko suspected that no one would.

"Are you sure there's nothing we can help you with?" His uncle called to the kitchen. He was completely healed of the rash now.

"Nothing at all." Came Song's mother's reply. "Nothing that we can't handle ourselves but thank you for asking.

It was completely dark now as Song set the table and took her place next to Ling. Her mother came out carrying the roast duck and Zuko feared that his uncle would drool a river and wash them all away.

"My daughter tells me you're refugees." Song's mother, who they now knew as Biyu, started as she brought out seconds. "We were once refugees ourselves." She added as she sat down.

"When I was a little girl," Song began, her voice full of sadness, "the Fire Nation raided our farming village. All the men were taken away. That was the last time I saw my father." Well, that answered the father question.

" _ **Why didn't you fight back?"**_ Ling asked as his uncle translated for her.

"We couldn't." Biyu told her. "The fields were ablaze and the smoke was so thick that we were lucky to get out alive."

" _ **Why didn't you find out where their base was and attack at night when they were at their weakest?"**_ Iroh gave Ling a pointed look as he translated.

"You sound as if this isn't the first incident you've encountered." It wasn't a question and Biyu waited patiently for Ling to respond but his uncle beat her to it.

"You must forgive, Jia, she's had a hard time coping with our newfound way of life." It was Ling's turn to glower at his uncle but she didn't say anything else.

Biyu held up a hand. "It's quite alright, but a word to the wise? Don't let that anger consume you, child. It's the worst that can happen to a girl your age." Zuko thought Ling was going to snort derisively at the lady but she just nodded her head and continued to eat.

An awkward silence had fallen over the group so Zuko tried to smooth things over. "I haven't seen my father in many years." Zuko immediately regretted saying it aloud as Song's gaze was filled with concern and pity while Ling and his uncle were of the knowing variety. Biyu remained stoic but Zuko noticed that her eyes softened a little at his statement.

"Oh. Is he fighting in the war?" Song asked as if she finally understood but she couldn't be farther from it.

His uncle stopped eating mid-slurp but Ling kept eating like nothing had happened.

Zuko set his bowl down and just to stop Song's questioning he replied with. "Yeah."

Zuko got up and left the dinner table stating that he was full and wanted to meditate. Ling just raised her eyebrows at him and didn't make a move to stop him. Either she was super hungry or she knew that he needed to be by himself for a bit. Either way he was grateful to have a moment of silence to himself.

It wasn't too long before Ling came out, told him she was going for a walk, and disappeared into the forest that surrounded Song's house. Most likely she was going to scout ahead and see if his sister was close by.

A little while later, Song came out and asked if she could join him. He hadn't given an answer before she moved toward him. "I know what you've been through. We've all been through it." _Doubtful_ , he growled to himself as she sat down next to him. "The Fire Nation has hurt you." Now he knew why Ling didn't want to talk to the girl. She pried too much. She reached up to touch his scar but before her hand came within five inches he grabbed it and set it back in her lap. "It's okay, they've hurt me too." She said as she pulled back her dress and then her pants to reveal an angry shimmering red scar that did loops around her calf and ended at her knee.

Even though he hadn't done it, Zuko couldn't help but feel responsible as guilt ate him up at the sight of that scar. This had been done by his father's armies. His father would probably say something along the lines of, "It was for the glory of the Fire Nation" but Zuko couldn't feel any of that glory or pride with which his father would say those words. He could only look on in horror as he saw what this girl had been through. He thought of the scars on Ling's face for a second before he pushed those thoughts away entirely. He didn't want to dwell on those at the moment.

They sat in silence the rest of the time while his uncle helped Biyu clean up the dishes and the kitchen. Every now and then he would think that he spotted Ling in the trees watching him and Song but he couldn't be too sure of it. He figured it was his mind playing tricks on him but a nagging voice in the back his head kept insisting that it was her. It reminded him of a game they used to play while they were stuck on the ship for weeks at a time.

His uncle peeked his head out and told him that it was time to go.

"But Jia hasn't returned yet." Song said fearfully.

"She has returned but has been too shy to say goodbye. Isn't that right, Jia?" His uncle's voice rose and took on a warning tone but there was no response. "You must truly forgive her. She's dealing with a lot right now." His uncle excused her and Zuko couldn't help but look back at the tree line to see if he could see Ling. He couldn't.

"No, no, it's alright. I've met people like her before, they've suffered a lot and don't know how to reintegrate themselves back into society. It's understandable with the war going on. Just be sure to watch over her and I'm sure she'll find her way." Biyu told his uncle who bowed graciously and gave Zuko a pointed look as well. Zuko bowed and turned away.

"Thank you for the duck, it was _excellent_." His uncle told the two women.

"You're welcome. It brought me such joy to watch someone eat my cooking with such…gusto." Biyu smiled kindly to his uncle as she handed him some leftovers.

"Much practice." His uncle sighed contentedly while patting his stomach.

Zuko made to turn away again but his uncle's warning tone stopped him cold in his tracks. "Junior, where are your manners? You need to thank these nice people."

Zuko turned and did a hasty bow with a curt, "thank you", and made his way to the gate.

"I know you don't think that there's any hope left in the world," Song spoke and though she was a soft spoken girl, her voice carried as if she were right next to Zuko. "But there is hope. The Avatar has returned." The hope in her voice was so tangible that Zuko could've grabbed onto it.

Zuko stopped dead in his tracks, right before the gate. "I know." He said with all the determination he could muster and continued on with his uncle trailing behind him as the other two went inside.

An ostrich-horse was nibbling the grass at its feet as he passed by its' stable. He got an idea then. What better way to shave time off of their trek across the country than by on the back of an ostrich-horse? The beast didn't make a sound as he grabbed the reigns and led it away. He pushed down the guilt rising in his chest and forced himself not to think about what he was actually doing especially when these people had given them food.

"What are you _doing_?" His uncle asked exasperatedly. "These people just showed you great kindness."

"They're about to show us more kindness." Was Zuko's retort. He extended a hand to his uncle. "Well?"

His uncle looked conflicted for about five seconds but got on the beast as well.

They only stopped when a small stick fell out of the tree limbs overhead.

Ling dropped down ten feet in front of them, her eyebrows raised. "Seriously?" She asked and Zuko could feel his uncle glaring at his back.

"Well, you coming or not?" Zuko asked her with a little bit of an edge to his voice.

Ling just shrugged and walked over to them. "You sure it's going to hold all three of us? I'm a little heavier than I look."

"Pretty sure. It seems to have the stamina for it." Zuko told her reassuringly.

Ling hopped up on the very back and that was that until Ling decided to make a point. "You do know that we'll have to feed and water it right? Now, we have four mouths to feed. Hope you thought this through."

"If I didn't, we wouldn't be riding it, would we?" Zuko countered but in truth he hadn't thought of that until Ling had to say something about it and he silently cursed himself for not thinking it through. He would never admit it, though, and that was the way he was going to keep it.


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING BUT MY CHARACTER LING. EVERYTHING ELSE IS OWNED BY THE CREATORS OF Avatar: The Last Airbender**

 **I don't mind constructive criticism as long as you aren't a jerk about it.**

 **ENJOY:**

Chapter 4

They were stopped at a small riverside village and although it was nice enough, Zuko wanted to be as far from here as he could get. Him, his uncle, and their ostrich horse were seated against the side of a plain tan storehouse begging for money. It was the most degrading thing he'd ever felt in his life.

Ling was in the forest looking for edible plants since they'd eaten all of the food Biyu had given them. Zuko believed that she'd just wanted to skip out on them and he honestly didn't blame her. He was still mad that she wasn't here to help out. He just hoped she brought something other than roots and berries this time. It wasn't likely. She would only gather those which were healthy for them and would be able to sustain them for a bit.

His uncle maintained a sunny disposition as usual. Zuko was doing his best not to roll his eyes but with every passing second it was getting harder and harder to accomplish. Zuko kept his head down and didn't say anything as his uncle was enough to get passersby to feel sorry for them.

"Spare coins for weary travelers?" His uncle called out to someone. The person dropped a few coins into his uncle's dǒulì.

He couldn't take it anymore. "This is humiliating! We're royalty! These people should be giving us whatever we want!" He growled at his uncle who was pointedly looking the other way.

"They will," his uncle said with a smile, "if you ask _nicely_."

Tiny footsteps were nearing them and Zuko thought for a second that Ling was back until his uncle asked for more money.

"Spare change for a hungry old man?" His uncle asked quite dramatically and Zuko could just picture the face he was making. Sad and desperate.

"Awe. Here you go." A soft feminine voice said followed by a coin being tossed in.

"The coin is appreciated but not as much as your smile." His uncle's flirting was _really_ starting to churn his stomach.

The woman giggled and walked away without saying another word.

"How about some entertainment in exchange for…a gold piece?" A high pitched male voice spoke and this time Zuko did look up. The man was tan and unshaven and wearing a shirt a size too big. The one thing that caught Zuko's attention was the sword the man carried on his back, however, this man was the lowest of the low and Zuko wanted nothing to do with him even if he _did_ have a gold piece.

"We're not performers." Zuko grumbled.

"Not professional anyway." His uncle had plastered a smile on his face as he got up and began to sing. "It's a long, long way to Ba Sing Se, but the girls in the city, they look so pretty!" His uncle wasn't a good singer, at least on the high notes.

"Come on, we're talking a _gold piece_ here!" The vagabond complained. "Let's see some _action_!" The man yelled as he drew his sword which turned into dual broadswords. Now _those_ definitely caught his eye. "Dance!" The man yelled at his uncle.

His uncle danced but not in any way that was dignified. The man swung his swords at his uncle's feet causing him to dance on his tip toes as he sang. "They kiss so sweet, that you've really got to meet, the girls from Ba Sing Se!" This man was going to _pay._

The vagabond laughed cruelly as he said, "Nothing like a fat man dancing for his dinner! Here you go." He had the gall to throw the coin on the ground and not in the dǒulì.

"Such a kind man." His uncle said dreamily as he sat down. Zuko didn't deign to respond as he was thinking of ways to humiliate the man as well as take his swords for his own. "I wonder what Ling is up to. I hope she hasn't gotten herself in any trouble."

"She can take care of herself, uncle." Zuko grumbled back.

"I know but I worry. Would you be so kind as to go check on her?" Well, he wouldn't have to beg for money anymore, so without a word he got up and marched toward the forest.

It didn't take him long to find her. She usually found the best edible plants by the river and that's where he searched for her first. His first guess paid off as he found her skinning some kind of creature. It was gross but he was thankful she hadn't made him do it at all since they'd been on the run.

She was sitting on a rock with the beast between her legs and her sleeves rolled up. Her hair was up in a bun and her face was set in concentration. The rock below her was red with blood as were her hands and forearms. She was meticulous as she worked. That was the one thing about Ling, if she deemed it worthy then it had to be perfect. Zuko didn't understand it and didn't try to.

He figured that she liked doing it and he didn't say anything on the subject.

"I know you're there. Did something happen?" Ling asked without looking up and Zuko was a little unnerved with how she could sense a person.

"No, uncle just wanted to make sure you're okay." He told her.

She snorted. "I can take care of myself. You can go back." She nonchalantly dismissed him, still not looking at him. It made his blood boil. That was another thing, when she was working, she didn't want to be bothered with anything. That didn't stop Zuko from challenging her, though.

"And what if I don't? You can't make me do anything!" This might lead to another fight but Zuko was too mad to care.

"No, but I can reduce your rations." She said it as if it wasn't the biggest insult to him in the world.

"Well…I don't need your rations! We got a gold piece today!" He was practically yelling now.

"Oh?" She finally looked up at him. "And what did you do to get it?" She asked with a knowing smirk. Zuko was half tempted to go back to his uncle.

He didn't say anything because he had nothing to say. If he lied, Ling was sure to ask his uncle about it and his uncle would either knowingly or unknowingly sell him out. He gritted his teeth.

"Thought so." She said and went back to skinning the beast.

"Well, what did you expect?" He yelled at her.

Ling just sighed and laid her knife beside her on the rock. Her voice was even but laced with steel as she spoke. "Prince or not, Zuko, I expect you to pull your weight. For the most part, your uncle and I have been doing most of the work while you sit on your high horse and whine and complain about how you're royalty and should be treated as such. Well, wake up and smell the _poverty_ , Zuko, because right now you are a fugitive and it's not going to get any better any time soon!" She was angering and scaring him with her tone and her, now, crossed arms. "I know it's hard to adjust to but you're going to have to learn that we all can't get what we want by complaining. We have to work for it Zuko. _You_ have to work for it. There's no other way to it." She gave him a sympathetic look and went back to the beast.

She didn't say anything more as he stewed in his anger. He hated to admit it, even if it was to himself, but she was right and he felt a little bad about it.

* * *

Ling knew that Zuko was still there but she wasn't in the mood to fight him today. She just wanted to skin this thing and eat it so that her stomach would stop trying to eat her backbone. She understood where Zuko was coming from but she wasn't going to grant him any special privileges. He needed to start pulling his own weight and she knew his uncle wasn't going to say anything to him about it. Honestly? Iroh was too soft on him but she understood why. His father was a jerk.

She turned her attention back to the animal and figured that she could get a few silver pieces for the pelt. Whatever meat they didn't eat could be sun dried and used as jerky in case they ran out of food again.

Zuko's sigh broke through her thoughts but she didn't look up. She figured that he would go back to Iroh or wonder the forest for the rest of the day. "How long have you been able to do that?" His question surprised her so much so that she looked up at him. "I remember you doing it on a few occasions when we had the ship but…" He let his sentence trail off.

She _had_ done it a few times but only on rare occasions as she usually stayed on the ship.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Since I was about…eleven or twelve." She wasn't going to give him any more information.

"How did you learn? And how do you not get sick from it?" Zuko asked and she noticed that he was looking a little green around the gills as she ripped out the intestines.

She shrugged again as she dumped the rest of the innards in the water for the fish to eat. "Trial and error. I did get sick the first few times but I eventually had to learn to control it until it didn't bother me anymore."

"Oh." Zuko said and Ling sighed.

"What do you want, Zuko? Obviously you're not hanging around for small talk." Could he just leave her to her work?

"About how my uncle got that gold piece…" He began and when she motioned for him to continue, he told her everything. He told her about the vagrant who made his uncle dance and how he wanted to get back at the man by taking his swords but he might need her help.

"Are you sure he's still in town?" She asked as she finished skinning and cleaning the animal. Zuko turned his head as she lowered it in the water to get rid of the rest of the blood.

"Yeah, he should be. I imagine that he's planning on staying for a day or two." Zuko told her and she nodded in thought. She didn't question how he figured it out.

"When were you planning on going after him?" She asked as she pulled the carcass out of the water and set it on a clean boulder.

"Tonight."

"Does your uncle know?"

"No."

"Good. He would try to stop us if he did."

"Does that mean you're going to help me?" His voice held just a little bit of hope.

"As long as you promise to start pulling your weight around here."

"Fine."

"Good. We'll go tonight after I've cooked this thing and your uncle is asleep."

"Fine."

* * *

During dinner, they all ate in silence and Iroh retired to bed early in the shelter Ling had made for him and his nephew. She didn't sleep in the shelter with them but in a hollowed out tree. It was more comfortable to her and less awkward.

They waited exactly fifteen minutes before they both nodded to each other and snuck off towards the village. Neither said a word as they snuck along the roof tops and watched the vagrant disappear into a building Ling was sure was a bar.

"There's no telling how long it'll be before he comes back out. We might have to wait all night." Ling told Zuko and Zuko groaned in response.

"Why can't everything just be easy?" He whined.

"Because then we wouldn't have the satisfaction of accomplishing anything and no one would work for anything." Ling blandly told him. "The world would descend into madness."

Zuko gave her a withering look and she responded with one of her own. Zuko gave up and trained his gaze back on the building. "Wait right here."

"What?" Ling hissed. "What are you doing? Zuko!" It was to no avail because he ignored her as he slipped off of the roof and down to the street below. She lost sight of him when he turned a corner and she silently cursed him. _Oh sure, let's go together but I'm just gonna leave you when I feel like it._ Ling mocked Zuko in her mind. _Oh, it's not like this was supposed to be a team effort anyways._ She let a harsh sigh slip through her lips and thought about leaving her spot and going back to their camp.

Zuko sidled up to her a little later with something in his hand. She gave him a questioning look and he held it up for her to see. It was a Blue Spirit mask and she almost smacked him. "Look, Zuko, just because you're feeling reminiscent-"

"It's not because of that." Zuko cut her off. "I'm using it again."

Ling felt her mouth take the shape of an 'O' before she schooled her features and nodded.

"Saw it on a vendor's cart earlier today." He supplied and she just nodded her head again.

They watched as the man emerged out of the building he'd taken refuge in and followed. Zuko looked at her and motioned for her to put her half-mask on. She did and nodded that she was ready. Zuko jumped down while Ling stayed on the roof. Ling grabbed some pebbles from in between the roof shingles and tossed them down so that they skidded along the ground and alerted the man that he wasn't alone.

He was jumpier than she'd thought he'd be but maybe he had expected some sort of retribution for what he did to Iroh. Ling was more inclined to believe that the man's way of life was the real reason.

The vagrant pulled out his swords and got into a fighting stance. "Who's there?" He said angrily. Ling knew that his anger was just a cover up for being scared. She'd seen it many times before.

Zuko crept up behind the man and got into position. As the man turned, Zuko caught his wrist and quickly disarmed him. The swords clattered to the ground as Zuko threw the man into a stack of crates. He twitched but didn't get up again. Zuko walked over to where the swords were on the ground and picked them up as Ling slid along the roof and landed beside him.

"Missed them?" She asked.

"Yeah. It's good to be back." Zuko said, only half paying attention to her.

"Don't get too involved or else you might never find your way back." She told him nonchalantly. He gave her a side-glare and she just shrugged her shoulders. "What should we do with him?" She asked, eyeing the unconscious man.

"Leave him. We got what we came for." Zuko told her as he turned to leave.

"Very well, but first…" She made her way to the man, picked his head up by his hair, and punched him squarely in the face. When she turned back to Zuko she could feel him giving her a questioning look through his mask. "What? I wanted to make sure he was _really_ knocked out." _And dish out a little payback_ , was the unsaid part of that sentence. Neither acknowledged it.

Zuko turned on his heel and Ling jumped back on top of the roof. She knew he would need to stash his new things. All that mattered right now was the fact that she was tired and wanted to go to sleep. So sleep she did.

* * *

Zuko made his way through the empty part of the new village they were in. Well, they were actually sequestered on the outskirts in the woods but it was about the same thing. He'd started pulling his weight like Ling made him promise to do. Even though he was now effectively pulling his weight, he couldn't help but feel that Ling and his uncle didn't approve of his methods.

He'd been stealing for the last few days and whenever he brought his goods back to them, he was met with mixed expressions. Neither one had really said anything yet so Zuko didn't dwell on it too much. Besides, if these people knew who he was then they'd give him everything they'd had whether they wanted to or not. He was really only speeding up the process. Ling and his uncle could get over it.

He raced across the rooftop and spotted a couple carrying a load of food. He felt his mouth water and quickened his pace. He nimbly leapt down in front of the couple and relieved the man of the two baskets he was carrying around his shoulders. The woman had a giant gourd balanced on top of her head and he relieved her of that too. He disappeared before either one of them knew what had happened or before he could even remember their faces.

He stashed his mask and swords in a hollowed out tree and silently thanked Ling for showing him how to locate such a tree among many.

Ling had managed to find them a cave but it wasn't really a cave. She'd explained that it had it seemed like an old hiding spot that the people just forgot about or abandoned and how the interior was designed like a one-room house. Zuko had to do everything he could to not let the awe show on his face or in his eyes. Ling sometimes astounded him with all that she knew but if she ever knew, she'd hold it over him for as long as he lived.

So he didn't let her know and kept it all to himself.

He made his way to the cave and saw that his uncle and Ling had their heads bent together and were talking in low tones. Ling must've heard him or at least sensed him in some way because she suddenly looked up. She quit talking to his uncle and made some excuse and left.

Zuko didn't know what to think about her weird behavior but judging by the look on his uncle's face, he wouldn't like it.

Zuko tossed the food down in front of his uncle and sat down with a huff.

"Where did you get these?" His uncle questioned, looking up with a stern glint in his eyes.

Zuko wasn't in the mood to deal with his uncle's line of questioning and walked away. "What does it matter where they came from?" He spit out behind him.

He needed to go blow off some steam and that's exactly what he was going to do.

He managed to blow off some steam in the form of stealing more stuff. He stole a small chest full of money from a wealthy Earth Nation man after beating up his guards. He decided not to tell Ling about the money as he bought his uncle a new teapot and a few cups to go along with it. She'd probably figure it out the second she set eyes on the tea set but he would cross that bridge when he got to it.

Both of his companions were out when he got back so he set up his uncle's teapot in his spot. When he was satisfied he sat back and relaxed until he heard footsteps approaching. He could tell by the heavy footfall that it was his uncle and briefly wondered where Ling was before he shook the thought from his head. Why was he suddenly concerned about what she thought of him stealing? She obviously didn't approve but that wasn't going to stop him. He ended his line of thinking when his uncle sat down in front of him.

"Looks like you did some serious shopping." His uncle's tone was a disapproving one and it angered Zuko but he didn't want to start another argument with his uncle. "But where did you get the money?" This must've been what his uncle and Ling had been talking about earlier and her strange behavior.

"Do you like your new teapot?" Zuko asked as his uncle had picked up the thing. It was a polished bronze and had a long slim neck with a fat round bottom.

He watched as his uncle set it back onto its tray. "To be honest with you, the best tea tastes delicious whether it comes in a porcelain pot or a tin cup." His uncle got up to sit next to him. "I know we've had some difficult times lately. We've had to struggle just to get by but it's nothing to be ashamed of! There is a simple honor in poverty." His uncle placed a hand on his shoulder. The last sentence reminded him of Ling's quip, _'wake up and smell the poverty'_.

"There's no honor for me without the Avatar." Zuko told his uncle as he stared into the fire.

"Zuko," his uncle said with a sigh. "Even if you did capture the Avatar, I'm not so sure it would solve our problems. Not _now_." It was those last two words that Zuko felt like there was a yawning pit beneath him, threatening to swallow him up.

When he spoke this time, it was from the deepest part of him. "Then there's no hope at all."

"No, Zuko!" His uncle grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him to look at him. "You must never give in to despair. Allow yourself to slip down that road and you surrender to your lowest instincts. In the darkest times, hope is something you give yourself. That is the meaning of inner strength!" His uncle's tone was so strong with conviction that Zuko actually turned back to look him in the eye and knew that his uncle believed every word. There was also something else in his uncle's gaze that made him want to flee. And so he did without saying a word. His uncle let him go without a word but Zuko could feel his gaze following him.

Ling suddenly landed in front of him when he was out of eyesight and earshot of his uncle. "What do you want Ling?" He asked tiredly, knowing that she had something to say because of the determined look in her eyes.

"When I told you to start pulling your own weight, this isn't what I had in mind, Zuko. Robbing people isn't going to make your feel better about yourself." She crossed her arms when she was done.

"Why do you care? If I remember correctly, and I do, didn't you steal clothes for us? What do you have to say for that?" Zuko asked her harshly.

Ling didn't react as she said, "I did what I had to, to keep you two safe. And I only stole what I needed _not_ what I wanted. I know when to quit so that innocent people don't get hurt." Zuko didn't say anything because he knew that she wasn't done yet. "And Zuko," her tone was softer this time. "You should really listen to your uncle. He's a wise man and wouldn't be the man he is today without encountering some trials in his life. Just think on his words, okay?" With that, she turned on her heel and walked towards their camp.

* * *

"Well, did you talk to him?" Iroh asked as Ling entered the cave and picked up a bean bun and bit into it.

"Yeah, and I managed to not yell at or punch him this time. I don't know if he took my words or even your words to heart but he _did_ appear to be thinking about something. I don't know what to do with him anymore." Ling admitted.

"There is nothing we can really do but try to guide him down the right path." Iroh told her serenely.

"Yeah, I know. Do you think…do you think there's ever a chance that he would give up with hunting the Avatar?" She hesitantly asked.

"Are you asking because of what's best for him or what best for the world?" Iroh asked, giving her a knowing look.

After a few seconds of thinking she answered. "Both. I'm thinking of both. We both know that your brother isn't the nicest human being on the planet right now and I believe it's only going to get worse as the days go by." As Ling said this she couldn't keep the bitter tone from entering her voice. Iroh gave her a compassionate look and gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"I understand where you are coming from, my dear, but do not let your hate cloud your judgment." _Again_ , was the unspoken word and Ling had to force herself to not shiver. "However, _I_ will not be the one who stops my brother. There is just too much history there." Ling nodded and they ate in silence.

 _You may not stop your brother but the Avatar will and if he fails, then_ I _will. No matter what it takes._

* * *

Zuko made his way back to the campsite after thinking on what his uncle and Ling had said to him. He'd actually been _very_ surprised that Ling hadn't blown up at him although it seemed like she'd been having a hard time not to.

He did hate the fact that the two of them had went behind his back as they did and that was another reason for his decision. He wouldn't tell them that, though.

His uncle was adjusting something while Ling was lounging by the fire. "Uncle, I thought a lot about what you said."

His uncle straightened up but didn't look at him. "You did? Good. Good." He said over his shoulder.

Zuko didn't let Ling's dagger-eyes sway him. "It's helped me realize something." Ling was now sitting up straight. "We no longer have anything to gain by traveling together. I need to find my own way." He grabbed a travel pack and walked away, ignoring the way he felt Ling's eyes glaring holes in his body. He was a fair distance away when he heard his uncle calling him.

"Wait!"

His uncle was leading the ostrich-horse behind him. He passed him the rope while smiling sadly. Zuko didn't react or say anything as the rope was handed to him and he jumped up on the beast. He didn't even look back as the beast began to move forward and picked up speed.

Zuko could still feel Ling's burning gaze on his back even after he'd left the forest.


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING BUT MY CHARACTER LING. EVERYTHING ELSE IS OWNED BY THE CREATORS OF Avatar: The Last Airbender**

 **I don't mind constructive criticism as long as you aren't a jerk about it.**

 **ENJOY:**

Chapter 5

The sun was glaring down on Zuko as the ostrich-horse puttered along. The travel pack that Zuko had picked up hadn't contained all that much food and now they were both feeling the effects of his poor planning. Both were hungry. And thirsty. And tired. Zuko didn't know how much farther he could go but still he kept moving. Or at least the beast did. Zuko was pretty sure that he'd be lying on the side of the road right now if his uncle hadn't given him the ostrich-horse. He sent a silent thank you and wished he could tell him in person.

What he wouldn't give to have Ling with him right now. She would know how to survive and find food and water. He supposed he should've paid more attention when she was telling him what kind of plants he could and couldn't eat. He didn't even have the strength left in him to shake those thoughts from his mind. He was _so_ hungry.

His ride was wobbling back and forth and Zuko wondered how much longer the beast would be able to stay upright. To be perfectly honest, he really had no idea how long these things could go without food or water. If it died, Zuko was dead as well. Well, he could always eat the carcass.

They both had almost died a little earlier when they were crossing a bridge and one of the boards gave out. Zuko's heart had plummeted to his stomach as he almost plummeted to his death. They'd managed to make it across but both had to take a breather when they were safe on the other side.

Zuko had also noticed that they both were losing weight and knew that that wasn't a good sign. His clothes were becoming baggy and he had to keep retying the sash on his pants. The beast seemed to be better off than he was in the weight category and for that, he envied the beast somewhat.

He smelled meat cooking and his mouth immediately began watering as well as his stomach growling. He stopped the animal and looked down and on a dried up river bank was the meat but there were two people also down there with it. A man and a woman. He briefly thought of robbing them but when he saw that the woman was nearing the end of her pregnancy, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He didn't have to have his uncle here to know what he would say and when he turned away he heard his uncle's words ringing in his head about him doing the right thing. Ling's voice was silent but her face gave him an approving nod.

Zuko realized that he was hallucinating and knew that he was in trouble. It was especially troubling when he saw his mother's form throwing a cloak on and disappearing into the darkness. But he plowed on, if only through sheer willpower.

He finally came upon a hill and looked down to see a small village but he wasn't sure how it was still there. It looked run down and almost desolate with only a few people out and about. He didn't let this stop him from his quest to find food and urged the beast forward.

They slowly moved down the hill and entered the town.

It was even worse when he got a closer look. Buildings were cracked and almost crumbling apart, it was super dusty which did nothing to help his parched throat, and there didn't seem to be a huge market for food. Zuko thought about turning around and leaving but couldn't bring himself to do so since the lure of even a little bit of food was too tempting.

As he came up on a shop he noticed four men gambling in the small alley directly in front of a small shop. He took in their appearances and immediately pegged the big one with all the muscles and two hammers at his sides as the leader. The other three were smaller and not with as much muscle. Zuko immediately knew that these weren't your every day gamblers and decided not to mess with them but he did eye them in a way that told them that he shouldn't be messed with. At least he _hoped_ he did and they didn't see a starving man that they could rob later.

They turned back to their game but he could feel the sneaking glances they kept sending him.

He stopped the beast and hopped down. He almost swayed in his spot but managed to keep still if only because he put a steadying hand on the post to which he tied the ostrich-horse. When he got his balance back he strolled to the shop keep. "Can I get some water, a bag of feed, and something hot to eat?" He asked and opened his fist to reveal his meager amount of money. Two coppers.

The man looked at him apologetically. "Not enough here for a hot meal. I can get you _two_ bags of feed."

That would have to do. Zuko nodded as the man disappeared into his shop.

Zuko turned a little when he heard a child's laughter and saw two young boys eyeing the men in the alley. Then the scruffier and scrawnier looking one pulled an egg out of his shirt and threw it at one of the underlings. It landed right on his head and he gave a shout of surprise. The two kids ran off without the others seeing and Zuko mentally sighed. They'd most likely blame him now. And they did.

"Hey!" Zuko heard and pegged it as the leader of the group. He didn't deign to turn around and stayed where he was. "You throwing eggs at us, stranger?" The man asked threateningly. His voice was somewhat of a hoarse growl.

"No." Zuko emotionlessly told him without turning around.

"You see who _did_ throw it?" He asked and Zuko finally turned around. The man was big but not as big as the man wanted to appear. He was slightly bald but his dark brown hair wasn't graying and he still had a full beard on his face. His clothes were cleaner than the shop keep's had been and Zuko knew that this man was the one who had taken over the town and run it into the ground. His demeanor was strong and had a bit of an edge to it like he had to threaten everyone who crossed his path.

"No." Zuko told him blandly and put a hand on his swords. It was the least threatening thing he could do but he wanted to show them that he wouldn't be bullied into anything. He just wanted to get his stuff and go.

"That your favorite word? No?" One of the underlings asked, trying to intimidate Zuko.

"Egg had to come from somewhere." The leader stepped forward but Zuko didn't, and wouldn't, take a step back. Instead he turned away.

"Maybe a chicken flew over." He told the men and surprisingly one of them laughed but stopped immediately. Zuko figured that the leader had given him a look that told him to shut up 'or else'.

The shop keep returned with his two bags of feed but before Zuko could even touch them the leader grabbed them. "Thanks for your contribution. The army _appreciates_ your support." He tossed them to one of his underlings and Zuko mentally sighed again. The man turned back to issue a warning. "You better get out of town. The penalty for staying is a lot steeper than you can afford, stranger. Trust me." He said as he patted his hammers but Zuko didn't respond.

"Those soldiers are supposed to protect us from the Fire Nation but they're just a bunch of thugs." The shop keep told him.

Zuko didn't say anything as he turned to his ostrich-horse. The scruffy kid appeared on the other side of the saddle. "Thanks for not ratting me out." Zuko still didn't say anything as he hopped up on the beast and made for the main road out of the village.

The boy ran ahead and grabbed a hold of the front of the reigns. "I'll take you to my house and feed your ostrich-horse for you." It came out more like a question than a statement but the kid didn't give Zuko a chance to say 'yes' or 'no'. "Come on, I owe you." The boy said as he pulled the beast along.

Zuko was _really_ looking forward to being able to rest a little bit.

* * *

The boy had led Zuko to the outskirts of the village and to a farm. The animals were making such a racket that Zuko couldn't even think straight.

"No one could ever sneak up on us." The boy joked and Zuko looked down at him. He was tan and skinny in the way that many working kids were but he saw the beginning of muscle starting to develop. His hair was wild and most of it wasn't even in the bun on top of his head. His clothes were covered in dirt but Zuko figured that it came with the territory.

"No kidding." Zuko responded. Those were the first words he actually spoke to the boy. The boy led the ostrich-horse to the stables while a rooster-pig cawed in his face.

"You a friend of, Li's?" An older and somewhat weathered man asked. The man was more tan than his son and had a tired look about him, like his work was never done and Zuko supposed that it wasn't. He had a beard and his hair was thrown up into a bun as well. His clothes actually fit him but left a deep 'V' all the way down to his waist which showed off his impressive abs as well as his huge arms since his sleeves were cut off.

Li came running out of the stables and grabbed onto his father's arm. "This man just stood up to the soldiers!" He exclaimed. "By the end, he practically had them running away!" That wasn't really true but Zuko was too hungry to care.

"Does this _guy_ have a name?" A woman whom Zuko supposed was Li's mother asked. She was a beautiful woman with her hair pulled into a messy bun. Her skin was paler than her husband's so Zuko figured that she probably cooked and possibly skinned the animals that her husband killed for food. Her voice was soft, like his mother's had been.

Zuko was caught off guard by the question and didn't know how to answer it. After a little stumbling, Li's dad rescued him from having to answer.

"He doesn't have to say who he is if he doesn't want to, Sela. Anyone who can stand up to those bully soldiers is welcome here. Those bullies should be ashamed to wear Earth Kingdom uniforms."

"The real soldiers are off fighting the war. Like Li's big brother, Sen Su." Li's mother spoke up. Zuko didn't know how to feel about that comment. "Supper's going to be ready soon. Would you like to stay?"

"I can't." Zuko told them. "I should be moving on."

It seemed like Sela wasn't going to let him off that easily, however. "Gansu could use some help on the barn. Why don't you two work for a while and then we'll eat." Zuko was tempted to say 'no' and 'yes' at the same time but his stomach didn't really give him much of a chance. So he nodded his head and him and Gansu, Li's father, began working.

Repairing the roof of the barn was hard and grueling work and Zuko didn't think he was too good at it. He was just looking forward to dinner, to be honest. Li was hanging around watching them work but so far he'd been quiet. Zuko briefly wondered how long he could keep it up before he burst.

Apparently, not long was the answer as the boy began questioning Zuko. "You don't seem like you're from around here." Zuko couldn't tell if it was a question or an observation.

He glanced over at the boy and shook his head with a 'no' Mm sound.

"Where are you from, then?"

"Far away." If these people knew who he was…he'd rather not think about it.

"Ooooh. Where're you going?" This question made Zuko stop his work altogether. He _really_ didn't know where he was going and wondered if his uncle and Ling were in the same position.

"Li," his father admonished. "Give it a rest. Stop asking the man personal questions, got it?" Zuko felt as if he could've hugged the older man in that moment.

Li seemed to be a little put off as he sighed a 'yes' and was quiet for all of two seconds. "So how'd you get that scar?" Zuko smashed his finger with the hammer in his surprise.

"It's not nice to bother people with things they might not want to talk about." Gansu admonished his son again. "A man's past is his business."

Zuko tried not to think about the past but it was difficult not to. The memories took over and before Zuko knew it, he was off in another land at another time. A happier time.

 _Him and his mother were feeding the turtle-ducks at one of their many ponds within the Royal Palace grounds. His mother was a beautiful woman. So much so that everyone within the palace had commented on it at one point or another. Even those at court could be caught whispering about the woman's beauty._

 _His mother had long dark brown hair that was always pulled back from her face in a half-up-half-down sort of style with a bun sitting on top of her head. An ornament with the insignia of the Fire Nation was placed in the front of the bun in order to show her loyalty and her rank. She wore long sweeping robes of various shades of dark red with only small gold ribbons at her sleeves that didn't wrap all the way around. Instead they ended in a point and Zuko was reminded of a dragon's whiskers. Her collar was also gold and almost reached to her chin._

 _This was a happier time._

" _Hey, mom, wanna see how Azula feeds the turtle-ducks?" Zuko asked and before his mom could say anything, he threw the whole loaf of bread into the pond and accidentally hit one of the baby turtle-ducks. Zuko instantly felt bad and then his mom got on to him._

"Zuko _," she admonished. "Now why would you do that?" He honestly didn't know. He was only kid after all!_

 _The mother of the baby went to see if it was alright then turned her angry gaze on Zuko. Zuko didn't have time to react before the mother bit him on his ankle and he had to be rescued by his mother._

" _Ow, stupid turtle-duck." Zuko pouted, as the stupid thing swam away. "Why'd she do that?"_

 _His mother knelt beside him. "Zuko, that's what mom's are like. If you mess with their babies…" she wrapped her arms around him and made a chomping sound which caused him to break into fits of laughter. "They're gonna bite you back." She finished her sentence and they sat there at the edge of the pond and just basked in the nice weather._

 _Later in the afternoon, after lunch he and his mother were taking a leisurely stroll around the compound. He'd avoided his sister so far and wanted to keep it that way but it seemed like the Spirits were trying to mess with him as his sister ran up to their mother._

" _Mom," Azula whined. "Can you make Zuko play with us? We need equal teams to play a game." Zuko_ knew _that tone of his sister's and instantly wanted to be_ very _far away. He looked over his sister's shoulder to see that Azula's only two friends were there. Ty Lee and Mai sat underneath a large tree watching the exchange between Azula and his mother._

 _Ty Lee was weird and always cheerful while Mai was dark and quiet. Ty Lee was always going on about pretty things and people being in love. She would sometimes try to play matchmaker for others but Zuko had almost always managed to avoid it happening to him. Mai, on the other hand, was always going on about how unfair something or other was about her life and how it was so bad._

 _Zuko couldn't really stand either as they were both friends with Azula._

" _I am_ not _cart-wheeling!" Zuko huffed out, bracing his hands on the low fence that enclosed the courtyard._

 _Azula crossed her arms over her chest and leveled him with a glare. "You won't have to. Cart-wheeling isn't a game. Dum dum." She muttered the last part under her breath but Zuko still heard it which only fueled his refusal to play with his sister._

" _I don't care! I don't wanna play with you!" He practically yelled at her._

 _Azula's whole countenance changed as a mischievous spark glinted in her eyes before it was gone in an instant, replaced with a hopeful look. "We_ are _brother and sister, it's important for us to spend time together. Don't you think so, mom?" Zuko knew that he was most likely going to be forced to participate in whatever scheme his sister had cooked up this time._

" _Yes, darling," his mother put a hand on his shoulder. "I think it's a good idea to play with your sister." She put a hand on his head as she said, "Go on, now. Just for a little while." And with that she walked away, leaving Zuko at the mercy of his sister._

 _Zuko reluctantly jumped the fence and walked over to his sister's friends._

 _Azula reached up into the tree and retrieved a delicious looking apple from it. "Here's the way it goes; now, what you do is, try to knock the apple off the other person's head." She placed the apple on Mai's head. "Like this." She ran back to where Zuko and Ty Lee stood, took a stance, and threw a small flame at the apple._

 _The stem caught on fire and before Zuko knew what he was doing, he was racing towards Mai to put the fire out. Mai let out a yell of surprise as they collided and fell back into an ornate fountain._

 _Laughter tickled his ears and he looked up to see Azula and Ty Lee laughing at both him and Mai. His face turned a light pink and he made to scramble off of Mai._

" _See? I told you it would work!" Azula laughed out. Zuko frowned as she doubled over._

" _Aww, they're so cute together." Ty Lee said, pointing between the two of them._

 _Zuko finally made it off of Mai as his ears turned read and he stomped off._

" _You_ two _are such…uhg." Zuko heard Mai say to them._

" _I was just coming to get you." Zuko heard his mother but didn't look up. "Uncle Iroh sent us a letter from the war front. You're soaking wet." She added as she actually looked at Zuko and all the water dripping off of him._

 _Zuko threw his hands in the air in exasperation. "Girls are_ crazy _!" He yelled at the sky and stomped towards his room to take a shower and change._

 _He managed to get some dry clothes on before a servant was at his door telling him that his mother requested his presence. He hurriedly tied his belt and rushed out the door, startling the servant somewhat. Zuko didn't even think to apologize nor look back as he raced down the hall._

" _Oh, Zuko, you're finally here." His mother said as he stepped into her drawing room. "I'll read the letter to you two." Azula was there but he remembered that it was a letter from his uncle so he focused back on his mother as she read;_

 _If the city is as magnificent as it's wall, Ba Sing Se must be something to behold. I hope you all may see it someday, if we don't burn it to the ground first._

 _They all laughed at that and his mother continued reading. "Until then, enjoy these gifts." Zuko ran to the white robed-clad servant holding the gift in a cushioned box. "For Zuko, a pearl dagger from the general who surrendered when we broke through the outer wall. Note the inscription and the superior craftsmanship."_

 _Zuko took the sheath off and read the inscription. "Never give up without a fight." He loved it. It was the best thing his uncle could've given him._

" _And for Azula, a new friend." Azula picked the doll up by its head and held it aloft. His mother continued to read unaware of Azula's disapproving look, "She wears the latest fashion for Earth Kingdom girls." Azula made a disgusted face, as if she couldn't stand anything that wasn't Fire Nation._

 _Zuko jumped down the stairs and began practicing with his new dagger._

" _If uncle doesn't make it back from war, then dad will be next in line to be Fire Lord, wouldn't he?"Azula curiously asked, but there was something in her tone that unsettled Zuko._

" _Azula, we don't speak that way." His mother chastised his sister. "It would be_ awful _if Uncle Iroh didn't return. And besides, Fire Lord Azulon is a picture of health."_

 _Zuko stopped playing with his dagger and faced his sister. "How would you like it if cousin, Lu Ten, wanted dad to die?"_

 _Azula crossed her arms over her chest and instead of answering, she said, "I still think our dad would make a much better Fire Lord than his royal-tea-loving-kookiness." Azula emphasized this by burning the beautiful doll in her hand._

 _His mother chastised Azula again and Zuko returned to playing with the dagger._

* * *

The work day was wearing on Zuko. He wasn't used to any of this but at least he had a nice hot meal in his belly. They'd had to stop when the sun went down and there wasn't any light left in the sky. He was sore all over but he felt…proud of himself and wondered if the commoners felt this way when they completed a days' work. He guessed not and that for them it was just another monotonous day for them.

He was settled in the barn as the family didn't have the space in their small house. He didn't have a bed like he wanted but a pile of hay was better than a pile of rocks. They'd washed his clothes after dinner while he was taking a bath as well. Lucky for him, he'd had a spare pair of clothes that Ling had stolen for him before he'd stolen all that money and bought the ones he'd worked in today.

He wondered what her and his uncle were doing right now and if they'd parted ways too or stuck together. He didn't know which one he hoped for.

He was almost asleep when he heard someone sneak into the barn, rifle through his things, and slip back out again. He knew it was Li because of the boys' small and quiet footsteps.

Zuko found Li practicing with his swords in a sunflower field. He wasn't very good but he had the strength to swing them without being taken down with the force of it so Zuko figured that the kid would get better in time. As long as it wasn't with _his_ swords.

Li turned to stab at the husk of a tree and that's when Zuko spoke up. "You're holding them wrong." He said quietly but sternly.

Li started and Zuko was afraid that he might cut one of his arms off as he fell back into a few sunflowers. He slowly stood up and faced Zuko. Zuko almost laughed at how the boy looked ridiculous with a sunflower on his head. Ling would've laughed.

Li stood up tall and bowed his head as he presented the swords to Zuko. Zuko thought about reprimanding him but couldn't bring himself to do so. So instead, Zuko gently grabbed the handles and brought them together. "Keep in mind that these are _duel_ swords, two halves of a single weapon." He stepped back to demonstrate how to use them. "Don't think of them as separate, because they're not. They're just two parts of the same whole." He emphasized this with a swing and cut through the stem of a sunflower.

He walked back over to where Li stood, rooted to the spot, and handed him his swords. Zuko was pleasantly surprised when the boy copied every sword stroke that Zuko had made. _Maybe the kid is a natural._ He didn't let on to this train of thought and instead just watched as Li practiced with his swords.

Li turned to Zuko and laughed as Zuko gave him a nod of approval.

Zuko let him practice for another few minutes before sleep nagged at him and he motioned for Li to stop. "That's enough for now but you're really good at it."

Li just smiled up at him as they walked back to the barn together. "I think you would really like my brother, Sen Su. He used to show me stuff like this all the time."

Zuko didn't deign to say anything and instead just kept walking. He dropped Li off at the front door and went back to the barn to hopefully get a few more hours of sleep before the sun came up.

* * *

 **Author's Note: I forgot to mention in Chapter 3 why Ling was pleasantly pleased about the name Zuko picked out for her. Jia in Chinese (characters) means beautiful and I thought it was a good name for her especially when she has a few scars running along her face and part of her body. Biyu's (Song's mother) name means Jasper (which is a semiprecious stone) and I picked it out because she was a good woman to give them food when she didn't even know them (therefore she is semiprecious). There's going to be more names with meanings coming up, so I thought I'd let you all know now and I'll try to remember to let you guys know what they mean and why I picked them. Thanks for reading! :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING BUT MY CHARACTER LING. EVERYTHING ELSE IS OWNED BY THE CREATORS OF Avatar: The Last Airbender**

 **I don't mind constructive criticism as long as you aren't a jerk about it.**

 **ENJOY:**

Chapter 6

Ling knelt before the river, filling up her canteen before they pressed on. She gazed out past the tree line and hills beyond to a secret place where half of her heart was safely tucked away. She was longing to go but she didn't know if she wanted to involve Iroh or not. She kept her secret so close to her that she had never even thought about telling another soul.

"What are you thinking about, my dear?" Iroh's words cut into her thoughts and Ling turned towards him.

"Huh? Sorry. I just have a lot on my mind." She told him as stared out over the grassy valley. She tried to seem nonchalant but she felt that Iroh could see right through her. To her very soul. To be honest, Ling felt that Iroh had acquired some sort of supernatural power of being able to peer into someone's mind.

"You always do but it seems that there is more than usual." Iroh observed. It was a little scary how much Iroh could read a person. She may be good at it but she doubted she'd ever be as good as the old man.

She turned an eye towards him but he was looking up at the sky. "There's a secret. Not a dark secret but the most precious secret I have and…and I need to check in on it." She told him cryptically.

"Would you like me to go with you?" Iroh asked her inquisitively. Still he didn't look at her and she turned her gaze toward the horizon.

"Yeah, it would be appreciated." She told him. It truly would and she knew she could trust him. He'd kept the secret about her supposed muteness. But that didn't mean she was ready to share. At the moment.

"Would you mind telling me what this secret is?" He asked quietly, but sternly. She knew it wasn't a matter of trusting her but all of his years of being a general in the Fire Lord's army, she didn't blame him for being cautious. She understood it actually. She was still cautious around him at times.

"Not at the moment but when we get there. We're a little ways from it but we should be able to make it in about a day and a half. Don't worry, it's nothing dangerous." She'd been intentionally leading him in this direction hoping to sneak off at night and be back before morning but this felt to be the better choice. That and she didn't think he would take too kindly to being abandoned in the middle of the night.

"Very well. I trust you." She was sure that he added that last part as a warning. Again, she didn't really blame him.

"And I, you." She told him and he nodded. A warning and an agreement.

"So, when do we leave to go find this great secret of yours?" He asked, stretching.

Ling felt a small smile creep on her face and a small chuckle escaped her mouth. "We're not _finding_ it. We're checking in on it." Then she added, "Whenever you're up for it."

"Then let's begin our great journey!" He said with gusto that totally offset the serious atmosphere. He made to pack up their camp seeming completely unfazed by what had just happened.

They didn't say anything of the subject of Zuko since neither really felt that they couldn't discuss it without Iroh getting sad and Ling getting mad. It was better if they just ignored it. She felt the pull to go hunt him down and drag him back to his uncle and force him to apologize over and over again until his throat was hoarse. She shook the thought from her mind and turned back to her task of packing up her stuff. The prince was stubborn to a fault and Ling would have to beat him senseless first and she doubted Iroh would be happy with that in any way.

Ling wondered if Iroh thought she was going to leave too but she couldn't bring herself to. That and there was no reason for her to leave, plus she needed to make sure that the old man didn't kill himself with another plant he thought was tea or some kind of special healing herb. She was _not_ going through that again nor would she have the old man's death on her conscience.

As soon as Iroh packed the last thing, they made their way towards Ling's destination with Ling leading the way even though Iroh could've led. Their path was basically a straight line that almost anyone could navigate, if you knew where to look. Their path would get trickier the closer they got and that's when Ling would definitely have to take the lead.

For the longest time they didn't say anything as they traveled farther into Earth Nation territory. Ling half expected Iroh to question her about whether or not she was going to turn him over to the Earth Kingdom for amnesty but the question didn't come nor did the hostility or weariness of such a question of someone thinking like that. Iroh just quietly followed Ling.

"So what is so important about this secret that it's your most precious secret? If I may ask." Iroh asked as they refilled their water skins from a stream. The older man claimed he wasn't as young as he used to be and that he required a break. In all honesty, Ling could've kept going but was somewhat grateful for the short reprieve.

"How do I put this?" Ling asked herself. "It's a result of me abandoning my own wellbeing and caring about someone else for just one instance. I care about it more than I care about myself. And if something were to happen to it, there is no force on this planet that would be able to stop me. Not even the Avatar himself." She added.

"I see." He told her but his face didn't give anything away. She couldn't even catch a glimmer of what the old man might've been thinking.

They started again and neither said another word. There was really no need to as the tension had been defused by Ling's admission and eventually Iroh began whistling a happy tune. At least it was better than his singing.

* * *

After a day and a half of hiking they finally made it and Ling looked up at the familiar nunnery that also doubled as an orphanage. It was almost identical to the one that made perfume and where Zuko had been paralyzed by the shirshu when he'd hired a bounty hunter to track down the Avatar.

It was an off-white stone square, cut from the mountains a little ways away, with the buildings surrounding the courtyard but it was bigger and there was a sports field off to the left. The orphanage part of the complex was bigger and wider than the other buildings on either side of it and Ling felt her heart skip a beat. The courtyard was immaculate as always and jars of water, spices, quilts, and other miscellaneous things were pushed against a wall, waiting to be stored or sold to a town down the river.

"So what is here that you care for more than you care about yourself?" Iroh asked but Ling wasn't listening as she stared at the familiar complex. She just stared and stared and stared as if she'd never set foot here before. Despite the heat and sweat rolling down her back she felt relaxed.

She walked forward and approached Superior Jiayi. "Mother Superior Jiayi?" She used her full title as a sign of respect as she always did when she came here.

Superior Jiayi turned towards her and the woman was the same as ever. Ling knew, could tell, that she was once very beautiful and one could see it in the graceful way her face had aged with hardly any wrinkles. Her face was long, her eyes wide and a beautiful storm gray, and her lips were between full and thin. She had high cheekbones that many women would be jealous of but Ling felt that it just added to her beauty. Mother Superior Jiayi was a stern but kind woman and underneath all those layers of clothes was a solid body of muscle. The woman was ridiculously strong for her age as well. And how old she was? Ling didn't know and never asked for fear of having her butt kicked up and down the mountain. Ling had no doubt that this was the strongest non-bender she'd ever met.

"And what alias are you using this time?" Mother Superior Jiayi asked with a tone that told Ling to choose wisely because of her companion. A little smile flitting across the older woman's face. Her voice was exactly as Ling remembered it. Melodic but promising that she wouldn't tolerate anything or anyone who thought about bringing harm to the place or anyone that resided within it.

"Ling." Ling told her. Superior Jiayi looked over at Iroh and raised a brow. "He's harmless." She told the older woman but now both brows had shot up.

"You say that but I know who he is." She turned her attention to Iroh who looked like he was trying not to fidget. She held him under her stern gaze for a minute or so. The woman could be intimidating when she wanted to be. "You can stay as long as you promise that no harm will come to this place." The woman basically loomed over Iroh but he'd schooled his features into honest sincerity.

"As long as I live, I will not tell anyone about this place or its inhabitants or anything else I may see here." He told her with a hand over his heart.

Superior Jiayi nodded and motioned for them to follow her. They silently complied and followed her into the orphanage section of the compound, down a hall, up some stairs, down another hall, before finally stopping in front of a plain wooden, but heavy, door. Superior Jiayi nodded to them and walked off without another word.

"I better go in first and tell him what's going on." She told Iroh and watched as realization dawned on his face. "We're not related by blood but that doesn't mean we can't be family. One more thing, don't tell Zuko. There's no reason for him to know and I'm trying to keep him as safe as possible." Iroh nodded and Ling knocked on the door.

"It's open." A bored boyish voice spoke from the other door. She took a breath, her heartbeat pounding in her ears, and turned the knob and walked in.

"Hey, I missed you." She had barely closed the door before she was tackled against in a bone crushing hug.

"You're finally back! Did you bring me anything this time?" Jin Yu asked as he released her.

"Am I not good enough?" She asked as she gazed down at him. He'd gotten taller and she was not liking it. He was almost up to her shoulders now despite being three and a half years younger than her. His skin was a light tan and his hair was as dark as ever. He'd cut it short but it didn't look bad on him. His emerald eyes sparkled as Ling hugged him again.

"You are good enough but usually you bring me something from your travels." Jin Yu countered as he walked over to his bed and sat on it. Ling followed suit and plopped herself down in the most undignified way.

"You got me there." She ruffled his hair and he let out a boyish chuckle before batting her hand away. "I don't have a material good but I have something better. I'll only tell you when you tell me what's happened while I've been gone."

"You're so mean." Jin fake pouted and gave a huff before he told her what happened during her absence. "They finally allowed me in the library." He had told her the day after they met that he wanted to be a scholar and she would do just about anything to make it happen for him. For her brother who had lost his family to the same nation that took hers away too.

Ling's brows rose. "No more stealing scrolls?" Jin Yu had been notorious for stealing the Sisters' scrolls ever since she brought him here.

"Not that they know of." They both grinned conspiratorially at each other. Jin Yu was one of the best thieves she'd ever seen. He could sneak in and out of just about anywhere without getting caught. "There are still sections I'm not technically allowed in but what they don't know won't hurt them."

"As long as you put them all back, I don't really care." Ling told him as she threw an arm around him.

"I kinda figured." Then he went on and on about his friends who had come and gone and who still came to visit or even stay like him. He told her about how he'd gotten in trouble with some other kids because they decided to try to leap from tree to tree and the Matron had come flying out of her little apothecary and gave them all a good tongue lashing. Ling just flicked his ear and he retaliated by elbowing her in the side.

He went on to tell her about how they tended new crops and how it relaxed him to read ancient scriptures about the time before the first Avatar appeared and how everyone had lived in cities on giant turtle's backs. No one had really traveled then and the Four Nations of the world hadn't been formed yet. He told her many more things and Ling was beginning to somewhat feel bad for Iroh but if he was impatient, he would've knocked on the door.

By the time he was done, Ling was somewhat saddened that she hadn't been there to see him do these things but she'd had other things to do and couldn't keep him out of danger at the time. Even now, she knew that she wouldn't be able to take him yet.

"Your turn." Jin Yu told her and she smiled down at him.

"It's been far too long." She mused to herself.

"Last time you told me about how you were going to the South Pole with the banished prince to look for the Avatar." That was the other thing about Jin, he had an amazing memory.

"Thanks." She said, then told him about everything that happened. She told him about her first meeting with the Avatar and his friends and he laughed at the part where Zuko's helmet had landed on his butt. She told him about the journey there and her fear of the rhinos. She told him about how she helped Zuko retrieve the Avatar as well as letting him get away. She told him about the pirates since he already knew about her being a pirate captain. He especially loved that story. She told him about Zhao and how he blew up the ship and how they went to the North Pole. She told him all that had happened with the admiral and the spirits that resided there.

"Yeah, it was red here too and then there was no moon. It was pretty scary." Jin Yu told her and she just held him tighter.

"It was scary for all of us." She murmured into his hair. She continued her story about how she came face to face with Azula and how Azula had no idea that it had been her. She told him about everything else that had happened and how she was happy to see him again. By the time she was done, the sun was beginning to set and now she _really_ did feel bad for Iroh.

"You got to meet the Avatar!" Jin Yu whispered in wonderment. "I'm so jealous. You got to meet the legendary General Iroh first and then the Avatar!"

"Well, I have a gift for you that'll make you forgive me." Ling told him and he just crossed his arms over his chest as she got up. She went to the door and cracked it open, not letting her little brother see. "I hope you're not mad at the wait." She told Iroh and he just gave her a knowing smile.

"Not to worry. Though this door is thick, I could hear a little bit of what went on." Iroh told her. "You've been away for too long." He said as he stroked his beard.

"Jin Yu," Ling said and her brother perked up. "Meet the legendary, General Iroh. General Iroh, this is my little brother, Jin Yu."

Jin was speechless as he beheld who had just trailed into his room behind his sister.

"You might want to close your mouth unless you're imitating a fish or trying to catch flies." Ling teased him and he gave her a playful shove.

"N-nice to meet you, sir." Jin stuck his hand out to the old General. Iroh shook it and commented on what a strong grip her brother had.

"A brother from another nation. Now that's something." Iroh said to her as she plopped down on the bed again.

"I adopted him when I found him." Ling told him as he dragged a chair over.

"You're amazing!" Jin said breathlessly.

"He wants to be a scholar." Ling told the old general. "You're also one of his favorite figures to research." Jin Yu glared at her but she just smiled back. "He especially loves hearing of your trip to the spirit world, what all you've told others."

"Well, what would you like to know first?" Iroh asked. Jin Yu's eyes lit up like the rising sun shining on an emerald and Ling knew that they were going to be here for a while.

* * *

They all had talked well into the night and only had to stop because Mother Superior Jiayi came and forced them all to go to bed. Ling and Jin Yu had grumbled at her but the second she turned that piercing gaze on them, they shut up and did as they were told.

Now, her and Iroh were working in the orchard. M.S. Jiayi had told her and Iroh that if they wanted to stay then they would have to work. Ling and Iroh, both, dared not to tell the woman 'no'. Ling was pretty sure that M.S. Jiayi was the only person she was truly afraid of. Azula? Jiayi could rip the girl apart without throwing a single punch. Fire Lord Ozai? She'd knock him down a peg or two.

Ling was in an apple tree picking apples while Iroh held a woven basket below her. She picked a ripe looking apple, inspected it, and tossed it down to Iroh who caught it and placed it in the basket so as not to bruise it.

"So, what is the story about Superior Jiayi?" Iroh asked her as they picked apples.

"First of all, it's Mother Superior Jiayi. To not use her full title is a show of disrespect and I would hate to see you reprimanded by her." Ling told him as she glanced down and she saw the corners of Iroh's mouth twitched. Ling reached for another apple before she went on. "She was a general in the Earth Kingdom army. One of the best. She won a lot of battles for them but then something changed one day. The rest is not my story to tell."

"I think I know the rest." Iroh told her which caused her to stop mid-reach.

She gave him a look that said 'go on'. He sighed and shook his head. Ling frowned at him and picked the apple off the branch and tossed it down to him.

"I never personally went against her but we did hear rumors about a female general who fought with her troops on the frontlines." Iroh stated but didn't look at her. "General's weren't-aren't supposed to fight with their troops. They're supposed to stay behind their lines and plan and strategize and let others do the fighting for them. So when we heard a rumor about a female Earth Kingdom General who fought with her troops, we thought it was just a bad joke until one of our _own_ generals got captured by her." He shook his head. "It was the myth come to life. We eventually got him back but that was while he was being transported to some Earth Kingdom prison and he wasn't in her custody anymore. She was a menace to us but I admired her. Does she ever talk about the day that everything changed?" Iroh looked up at her at last.

Ling shook her head at the sudden question.

"I thought so but do you know about it?" Iroh asked and Ling nodded. "What do you know about it?"

"I asked her about it once and the one thing that she told me was that war makes monsters of us all..but sometimes it is necessary. This war is not necessary but we must fight it to retain our freedom." Ling stretched out on the branch and looked down at the older man. "Then she told me what happened."

"And what _did_ happen?"

"If you know, why are you asking me?" This was _not_ her story to tell and if he thought he was going to lure her into revealing M.S. Jiayi's past then he was _dead wrong_.

"Because I want to know that you know what it means to stop. Stop before you go too far and lose yourself." Iroh's face held no inkling of the teasing from a few minutes but a hard seriousness had settled over him and Ling knew that he _knew_. He _knew_ what she had done before she'd joined him and Zuko that day at the port. She didn't know how he had found out but…

"He was going to kill me." She told him, her voice as hard as steel. She felt no emotion except for the cold burning rage that made a person calm. "And you had no right to-"

"No, my dear. I had _every_ right. I wanted to make sure that you were not a danger to my nephew or myself since no one had heard from you since the incident happened." Iroh's face had softened a bit but Ling still held her emotionless mask in place.

"How long have you known?" She asked as she looked down her nose at him.

"It took some digging but about five months after you joined us. You hid your tracks well." Iroh held her gaze and after a minute she looked away. _Coward._ "But unlike that fearsome lady-general, you did not kill an innocent man."

Ling looked down at her hand as she felt something hit it. She almost startled herself off the branch when she realized that she was crying. Iroh turned away and continued to gather apples as Ling sat in her tree, gazing at the sky while the tears rolled down her face

* * *

 **Author's Note: Jin Yu means 'Gold Universe'. I thought it was appropriate since Jin Yu is just about everything to Ling. I hope you guys liked the chapter. Jiayi means 'Household Fitting' and I felt it was appropriate and ironic since she used to be a general and she's now the head nun and takes care of all the kids.**


	7. Chapter 7

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING BUT MY CHARACTER LING. EVERYTHING ELSE IS OWNED BY THE CREATORS OF Avatar: The Last Airbender**

 **I don't mind constructive criticism as long as you aren't a jerk about it.**

 **ENJOY:**

Chapter 7

Zuko slept through the rest of the night and was awoken in the late morning by Li for breakfast. Not much was said and Zuko believed it was because Gansu had had a talk with his son about prying into people's past. They only talked about what the weather would look like today and if one of the crops was ready for picking.

It was a bacon and eggs breakfast and it was actually the best that he'd had since he'd left his uncle and Ling. Not that he would ever tell them that.

It was already very hot for such an early time of day as Li brought his ostrich-horse around. He climbed on and Sela handed him a box of something. "Here, this ought to get you through a few meals." Zuko doubted it as benders had bigger appetites than non-benders and this would probably last a day or two but he kept it to himself. He was about to say 'thank you' but a dust cloud on the horizon stopped him.

Everyone looked to see the thugs from the town coming their way.

Gansu took a few steps around Zuko and positioned himself in front of his family. "What do you think _they_ want?" He spit out the sentence like it left a bad taste in his mouth. Zuko supposed it did.

No one else seemed inclined to answer, so Zuko did, "Trouble."

The men finally made it to the farm and stopped about ten feet away, completely blocking the path.

"What do you want, Gao." Gansu asked and Zuko concluded that Gao was the worthless leader who had threatened him yesterday.

The look on Gao's face was not a friendly one and whatever he had to say, he looked as if he was already taking pleasure in being the one to deliver it. "Just thought someone ought to tell you; your son's battalion got captured." Zuko didn't need to look at the older man to know that shock and horror had taken over the man's face. But Gao wasn't done yet, "You boys hear what the Fire Nation did with the last group of Earth Kingdom prisoners?"

An underling on the right answered as if they had rehearsed this speech. "Dressed them up in Fire Nation uniforms and put them on the frontline, _unarmed_ ; the way I heard it." The man spit onto the ground. "Then they just watched."

Zuko almost fell off his beast as he heard the news. He knew that his father's generals were cruel but he thought that they would rethink their methods a bit after what he said. He gritted his teeth and opted not to say anything. He just couldn't fathom that they were even more cruel than he remembered and he didn't know what to think, so he didn't. He kept his mind blank and shoved everything to the back of it.

"You watch your mouth!" Gansu growled, pointing a threatening finger at the group.

Gao made to move like he was going to strike the man but Zuko moved his beast between them and glared at him.

Gao seemed to contemplate if a fight was really worth it but decided not to. "Why bother rooting around in the mud with these pigs." It was said like a question but meant as a statement and a warning.

Gao and his men turned tail and sped away atop their beasts.

Zuko watched them go and thought of Li's brother and remembered when his mother had told him that Lu Ten was _not_ coming home ever again. He and Azula had been playing together when his mother had called them over. His mother had cried when she told them. He had cried when he'd gone back to his room. Azula had hidden her feelings well but Zuko knew that she had been _delighted_. He was sure his father was too. Now that his uncle didn't have any living heirs, the crown would move to his family once his uncle died.

Li's voice broke through Zuko's thoughts. "What's gonna happen to my brother?" Zuko didn't know what to say to that.

Gansu had moved to stand with his wife and Zuko looked away as they embraced one another. "I'm going to the front lines." Gansu told his family. "I'm going to find Sen Su and bring him back." Zuko could almost hear Ling responding with a 'good luck' as well as his uncle urging him to stay and help. He shook both from his mind and continued to stare towards the road.

Sela began crying but it soon faded away and Zuko knew that they had gone back to the house to say goodbye. What he didn't know was that Li had stayed behind until the boy's voice sounded behind him. "When my dad goes, will you stay?"

"No." Zuko responded immediately. "I need to move on." He rifled through his things and found what he was looking for. The only meaningful thing he could give the young boy. "Here, I want you to have this. Read the inscription." He instructed as he handed his pearl dagger to Li.

"Made in Earth Kingdom." Li read confusedly and Zuko was somewhat embarrassed although he didn't really know why.

"The other one." He instructed.

Li did as he was told. "Never give up without a fight."

Zuko didn't say anything as he turned his beast around and sped off.

Thinking about Lu Ten had other memories rising up and he did his best to keep them down. It wasn't long until he could no longer take it and had to stop over on the side of the road a little ways from the village. He laid down on the incline and finally let the memories take him away.

* * *

 _He and Azula were in their mother's drawing room. He was playing with his knife, acting as if he were in battle and had just gotten hit by an enemy. "Ahhh." He moaned as he fell to the ground._

 _Azula, who was sitting in a chair watching him, spoke up. "You waste all your time playing with knives. You're not even good."_

 _Zuko felt the blush rise up in his cheeks as he retaliated. "Put an apple on your head and we'll find out how good I am!" He yelled at her. She didn't seem too scared about it which infuriated him more. But before they could have another full blown argument, Azula dropped some actual news._

 _"By the way, uncle's coming home."_

 _It totally stopped Zuko in his tracks. "Does that mean…we won the war?"_

 _"No." Her tone was derogatory now. "It means that Uncle's a quitter_ and _a loser." She said as she stalked off._

 _"What are you talking about?" Zuko rebuffed her. "Uncle's not a quitter!"_

 _Azula turned around a column. "Oh yes he is! He found out his son died and just fell apart. A_ real _general would stay and burn Ba Sing Se to the ground! Not lose the battle and come home_ crying _." Zuko knew she was egging him on by that smirk that she was giving him but he couldn't stop himself from defending his uncle. Everyone knew he had a soft spot for the man._

 _"How do you know what he should do? He's probably sad because his only kid is_ gone _." Tears welled up in his eyes but he refused to let them fall in front of Azula. "Forever."_

 _Before Azula could say anything else on the matter, their mother came rushing in. "Your father has requested an audience with Fire Lord Azulon. Best clothes! Hurry up!" Zuko made to rushed out but when Azula stayed behind, he did too, just out in the hallway._

 _"Fire Lord Azulon." Azula sneered. "Can't you just call him grandfather? He's not exactly the powerful Fire Lord he used to be." She scoffed. "Someone will probably end up taking his place soon."_

 _Zuko refused to believe it and tried to get his sister's words out of his head. She always loved tormenting people with words._

 _"Young lady! Not. Another. Word." His mother ground out as Azula came running out. She gave him a smirk as she disappeared around a corner. Zuko followed after her._

 _His mother followed but didn't run as they did. They waited for her with their father outside the throne room double doors. His father didn't say a word nor did he look at him as he and Azula stopped behind him. Zuko sometimes felt that the man never realized he even had children until it was convenient to him._

 _As his mother caught up, his father didn't say anything as the doors opened and they all filed in together. They took their places on the cushions in front of the giant pyre that served as a divider between the Fire Lord and the rest of the world. Zuko and Azula sat on the right end while his mother took up the space on their father's left._

 _They all bowed and took their seats while his father made his opening statement that Zuko didn't pay any attention to. He never liked coming to the throne room. It always felt as if he were on trial for something and his grandfather was the judge, jury, and executioner._

 _His father then began questioning his two children on different battles and tactics to impress Fire Lord Azulon, Zuko felt that the old Fire Lord couldn't care less._

 _"And how was it that great-grandfather, Sozen, managed to win the battle of Han Twi?" His father asked him and Zuko tried his best to answer but he was never really good with all the different battles that had happened and were still happening around the world._

 _"Great-Grandfather won…because…" It was right on the tip of his tongue but Azula beat him to it._

 _"Because even though his army was outnumbered, he cleverly calculated his advantages." She spouted off as though the text was right in front of her. "The enemy was downwind and there was a drought. Their defenses burned to a_ crisp _in minutes." She gave Zuko a smug look and Zuko could do nothing but face forward again._

 _"Correct, my dear." His father said and Zuko felt ashamed. Ashamed that he wasn't like Azula. Zuko did everything he could to gain his father's approval but it was never enough. Azula was always ahead of him with their studies as well as combat training. Azula was a prodigy and he was not. Even the servants would whisper from time to time and all looked at him with pity in their eyes. "Now, would you show Grandfather the new moves you demonstrated to me?"_

 _Azula did and she was even better than when she'd showed off to Zuko about how much better she was. She threw perfect fireballs and her form was perfect. Zuko noticed the corner of his father's mouth tilt upward in a proud smile._

 _"She's a true prodigy." He said and Zuko knew no one could refute him. It was true. "Just like her grandfather for whom she's named."_

 _Azula returned to her seat and whispered to him, "You'll never catch up."_

 _Zuko propelled himself to his feet and declared that he'd like to demonstrate what he'd been learning lately. Compared to Azula's, his fireballs weren't as good. He made to do a jump kick while kicking out fire but he somehow ended up on his butt and not landing the move like he had envisioned. He wasn't done yet. He was determined to do better than Azula but when he went to go do the move again, he ended up messing it up again. He curled in on himself and forced the tears to stay in place._

 _"I failed." He mumbled to himself but his mother was there, comforting him._

 _"No, I loved watching you." His mother told him and it was like they were the only two in the throne room. "That's who you are, Zuko. Someone who keeps fighting, even though it's hard." Her voice was so soft and he wrapped the sound of it around his heart._

 _Zuko looked back at his father. His father was no longer smiling._

 _"Prince Ozai," Fire Lord Azulon growled. "Why are you wasting my time with this_ pomp? _Just tell me what you want! Everyone else, go!" he made a shooing motion and Zuko quickly got up and followed his mother and sister out._

 _Before they reached the door, however, Azula pulled him aside and behind the drapes in the throne room. "What are you-" Zuko made to ask but Azula shh'd him. They came to a stop and both peeked through the curtains to see what was going on._

 _"Father, you must have realized as I have that with Lu Ten gone, Iroh's bloodline has ended. After his son's death, my brother abandoned the siege at Ba Sing Se and who knows when he will return home?" His father's tone changed to one that he associated with Azula when she wanted to get her way. "But_ I _am here, father, and my children are alive."_

 _"Say what it is you want!" His grandfather ground out again and Zuko flinched._

 _His father stood and approached the throne. "Father, revoke Iroh's birthright. I am your humble servant. Here to serve you and our nation." His father bowed. "Use me."_

 _Azulon stood up. "You_ dare _suggest that_ I _betray_ Iroh?" _His grandfather snarled down at his son. The pyre's fire also took on a dangerous height as well. "My firstborn! Directly after the demise of his_ only _beloved son? I think Iroh has suffered enough. But you? Your punishment has scarcely_ begun! _" The flames surrounding his grandfather's throne seemed to fill the entire room and Zuko bolted._

 _He ran all the way back to his room and stuffed his head into his pillow. It was almost bedtime anyway but he couldn't sleep. Fire Lord Azulon_ was not _happy with his father and Zuko wondered if it would bleed over to him and Azula._

 _He was still laying awake in bed when Azula came in and leaned against the door frame. "Dad's going to kill you!" She sang. "Really, he is." She told him as if he thought she wasn't telling the truth._

 _"Ha ha, Azula. Nice try." Zuko told her as he sat up in bed. He really hated these games that Azula loved to play on him._

 _Azula shrugged off the door frame. "Fine. Don't believe me. But I heard everything. Grandfather said that dad's punishment should fit his crime; 'you must know the pain of losing a firstborn son by sacrificing your own'." She mimicked their grandfather as she smiled down at him._

 _"Liar." Zuko ground out. It was just another of her pranks. It had to be._

 _"I'm only telling you for your own good." She huffed as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I know! Maybe you could find a nice Earth Kingdom family to adopt you." She happily supplied as she sat down on his bed._

 _"Stop it." Zuko yelled at her. "You're lying! Dad would never do that to me!" his fists tightened on his blanket._

 _"Your father would never do what to you?" His mother's voice said from the doorway. "What is going on here?" Zuko felt as if she'd heard everything they'd been saying._

 _"I don't know." Azula said in the most innocent voice she could manage but it hardly ever worked on their mother and today was one of those days._

 _Their mother marched over to Azula and grabbed her by the wrist. "Time for a talk." She told his sister and dragged her out of the room._

 _Zuko fisted his hands into his blankets again. "Azula always lies. Azula always lies." He repeated it over and over but he felt that this time, she wasn't lying._

* * *

He still repeated those words to himself when the memory overtook him but in all the years since that time, he still felt that she had been telling the truth that night.

He sat up as he heard a cart rolling his way and prepared to fight, thinking it was the thugs coming to teach him a lesson. It wasn't. Sela's voice floated over to him, full of panic and despair. "You have to help! It's Li! The folks from town came back as soon as Gansu left. When they ordered us to give them food, Li pulled a knife on them! I don't even know where he got a knife!" Zuko looked away. That was not what he meant for Li when he gave him that knife. "Then they…took him away. They told me that if he's old enough to fight then he's old enough to join the army! I know we barely know you but…" She couldn't go on any more as her tears had overtaken her.

"I'll get your son back." Zuko told her. It was partially his fault anyways and he was itching to get some aggression out.

Sela went back to town first and after getting some food and water in his system, Zuko followed.

As he approached the town the sun was beginning to set but it felt like he was in an inferno.

He took in his surroundings as he made his way to Li. The boy was tied to a water tower and the thugs were playing a game underneath said water tower. There was a crowd of more villagers than Zuko had seen when he first arrived. He briefly wondered where they'd all been. The last to come out of hiding was Gao, who stepped from around a building.

Zuko dismounted his beast and took his douli off of his head and placed it on the saddle. He took three steps and stopped, making eye contact with Gao's little group. "Let the boy go." He kept his voice low and menacing.

Gao let out a humorless laugh before he cut himself off abruptly. "Who do you think you are? Telling us what to do!" His rough voice echoed throughout the village.

"It doesn't matter who I am but I know who _you_ are." He told them, loud enough for the villagers to hear. "You're not soldiers, you're bullies. Freeloaders abusing your power. Mostly over women and kids. You don't want Li in your army. You're sick cowards messing with a family who's already lost one son to the war."

Gao turned to one of his underlings. "Are you gonna let this stranger stand there and insult you like this?" Zuko didn't let his face twist into a sneer even though the man was such a coward that he would rather have his underlings fight in his place.

The underling took his spear in hand and made to stab Zuko. Zuko took a step to the left, grabbed the hilt of his sword and speared the man in the stomach with it. He went down with an 'oof' then ran away.

Another one got angry and ran forward with his spear raised as well but Zuko kept his head down and waited until the man thrust his spear towards him. Zuko knocked the shaft up and out of the man's hand right as he grabbed onto the man's face and knocked him back into the dirt. As soon as Zuko let go, he ran away as well.

The last one wasn't much better as all Zuko had to do was kick the spear and it broke. He only had to glare at the last one before he ran away with his friends. He almost rolled his eyes.

Now it was just him and Gao. They glared at each other for a solid five seconds before Gao took out his hammers and got into a fighting stance. Zuko did the same with his swords. Gao struck first, using his hammers to send a volley of rocks at Zuko.

Zuko cut through the first, second, and third rocks but the fourth hit him right in his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. He refused to let himself falter, however, and it took almost every ounce of his will to stay upright.

He charged at Gao who sent another volley of rocks at him and as before, one caught him in the stomach. He'd managed to cut the first two but the third is what got him this time. They were coming too fast and he either needed to throw Gao off balance or he needed to make himself faster somehow.

Gao seemed to get infuriated that Zuko wasn't staying down and sent even more and even bigger rocks at Zuko. Zuko drew on his training with his tutors at the palace, with his uncle, and with Ling. When she had felt like it. He would have to trade his grace for speed and brutality as Ling sometimes did. He didn't like it but he would do it to survive.

As Gao sent boulder after boulder, Zuko didn't see the wall of rock coming towards him until it was too late. It hit him straight on and Zuko felt as if he flew ten feet back. He came down with a hard 'thump' in the dirt, gasping for breath. Maybe he should just stay down. Let it end now. Stop fighting and just rest.

 _He was asleep and it was too early for anyone to be in his room but someone was shaking him awake. He hesitantly opened his eyes and saw his mother staring down at him._

 _"Mom?" He_ really _hoped that it wasn't time for lessons yet but he was confused as to why his mom was in his room at this late hour. He took in her appearance and through his sleep-fogged brain, he noticed she had a traveling cloak on._

 _"Please, my love, listen to me." His mother whispered as she pulled him into a hug. "Everything I've done, I've done to protect you." Footsteps sounded outside and his mother pulled back and held him at arm's length. "Remember this, Zuko; no matter how things may seem to change,_ never forget who you are! _"_

 _He watched as his mother disappeared into the hall and never look back at him._

The words still rang in his head ' _never forget who you are'_. Over and over they chanted and Zuko knew that he'd lost his way. Lost his identity but not anymore. He knew who he was and he would remind himself and these people just exactly _who_ he was and _what_ he was capable of.

He was sprawled on his back in the dirt of a village and the man who had hit him with a wall of rock was steadily approaching from the left. No! It wasn't going to end here and he would make sure of it.

Gao took a step closer and Zuko unleashed himself, fire and all. He grabbed his swords, made a protective barrier of fire before he used his swords to send that fire towards Gao like an explosion. Gao managed to shield himself from getting burned but not from getting blown back.

Fire crackled all around Zuko as he stood in the middle of the fire ring he'd created before he charged Gao with a volley of fireballs. Gao tried to block with another wall of rock but Zuko tore through that and sent the man flying backwards again. Right into a building which collapsed on him, effectively trapping him there.

"Who-who are you?" Gao asked as Zuko walked over to stand in front of him.

Swords still smoking, Zuko told him and the whole village exactly _who_ he was. "My name is, Zuko! Son of Ursa and Fire Lord Ozai!" He put his swords away. "Prince of the Fire Nation and heir to the throne!"

It was quiet as Zuko's words sunk in but it was shattered when an old man spoke up. "Liar!" He yelled. "I heard of you. You're not a prince, you're an outcast!" Zuko was surprised he managed to keep himself from flinching. "His own father _burned_ and _disowned_ him!" It took everything in him not to treat the man as he had just treated Gao.

Zuko ignored the old man and walked toward Gao. Gao shrank back but Zuko only grabbed the pearl dagger out of his belt and walked over to Li and his mother. Sela stepped in front of her son and Zuko was reminded of the turtle-duck incident.

"Not a step closer." She warned him and he stopped in his tracks.

Zuko knelt down and offered the dagger to Li. "It's yours'. You should have it." He told the boy but instead of gratitude on his face, disgust had taken over.

"No! I hate you!" Li told him and Zuko let him and his mother walk away. He turned and rode out of town with his head held high.

He'd been here too long and had forgotten his purpose because of these people's problems and his own doubts about himself and his nation. It was time he got back to the task at hand; capture the Avatar and return home.

* * *

 _"Mom?" Zuko called out as he woke up. He'd thought it'd been a dream but something was telling him that it wasn't._

 _He threw the covers off of him and ran out to the hallway as he called her name._

 _He went to her drawing room which was where she usually was but instead of being lit up like usual, it was dark and cold. Azula popped out from behind a pillar._

 _"Where's mom?" Zuko asked her but she just shrugged._

 _"No one knows. Oh and last night, grandpa past away." She told him and even though it was dark he was pretty sure he could see the ghost of a smile on her face._

 _"Not funny, Azula. You're sick." He told her as he realized what she held in her hand. "And I want my knife back. Now." He made to lunge for it but Azula dodged him._

 _"Who's going to make me?_ Mom _?" Azula asked and Zuko knew she was just_ enjoying _this._

 _This time when Zuko made to grab his knife, he got it and ran to the main courtyard._

 _His father was standing in front of the fountain where he and Mai had landed after one of Azula's cruel jokes. His father's clothes were as immaculate as ever and he looked like a statue. Not even a hair was out of place._

 _"Where is she?" Zuko demanded but his father didn't even turn around or acknowledge that he'd heard anything but the wind. Zuko eventually walked away._

* * *

 _The funeral for his grandfather was magnificent but Zuko didn't have the mind to take it all in. He, Azula and their father were dressed in the whitest of whites with only gold embroidery around the hems, cuffs, necklines, and belts. White was worn as a symbol of death and rebirth within the Fire Nation but only the royal family and family priests wore it this day. The rest of the nation wore a faded red._

" _As your dying wish," Zuko finally tuned in to what the priest in charge was saying. His father had knelt before the priest and the priest was now bestowing the emblem of the Fire Lord unto his father. "You are now succeeded by your second son. Hail Fire Lord Ozai!" Zuko didn't know what to say or do or think as he and everyone else bowed before his father._

 _He glanced over to Azula. She was smiling like a proud daughter of the Fire Lord but it just looked menacing with the flames burning behind her._


	8. Chapter 8

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING BUT MY CHARACTER LING. EVERYTHING ELSE IS OWNED BY THE CREATORS OF Avatar: The Last Airbender**

 **I don't mind constructive criticism as long as you aren't a jerk about it.**

 **ENJOY:**

Chapter 8

Ling didn't know how long she sat in that tree nor did she realize the passing of the sun until it was completely dark out. Her tears had long ago dried on her face and she wiped the salt paths away as she stared up at the star flecked sky.

A cough dragged her from her reverie and she looked down to see Mother Superior Jiayi. The woman was just staring at her expectantly and Ling just stared back. "How long have you been there?" She asked the older woman.

"Long enough to know that you've been in your own world for a while now." M.S. Jiayi told her.

"Sorry if I've kept you waiting." Ling said as she climbed down.

"Think nothing of it." The woman waited until Ling climbed down and, together, they walked back to the convent.

"Jin Yu was growing worried but Iroh told him that you had a lot on your mind." M.S. Jiayi told her.

"Yeah." Ling gave a noncommittal shrug.

"Is it about Jin Yu's welfare? Because he faring pretty well here." The older woman gave her a sidelong look. "Or is it about something else entirely?" Ling hated how the older woman could read her like a book. Iroh was the same way and she had no doubt that Iroh might have either told the woman or hinted at what they'd talked about in the orchard.

"How did you ever get over it?" Ling asked and they both knew what she was talking about.

M.S. Jiayi just sighed and kept walking. Ling was about to ask the woman again but she sat down on a bench and motioned for Ling to sit with her. After about five minutes of silence the older woman spoke. "You ask me how I ever got over killing an innocent man?" The woman looked as if she could see something far away, in another place. Another time. "The answer? I'm still not over it. Why do you think I'm still at this convent? I know it wasn't directly my fault but I was just as involved as every other general, commander, and grunt who's involved in the war. Remember child, war makes monsters out of even the most peaceful of humans. Of course you have your exceptions but even they feel the urge to kill. Spirit's knows what the Avatar is probably going through."

"So how have you managed to work around it?" Ling asked.

"Redeem myself you mean?" M.S. Jiayi asked and Ling nodded. "By helping others who have been affected by this war, although I don't know if it's helping me any but being here and helping families and orphans has taught me to appreciate what life has to offer and not waste a single moment of it. When I found out that we had invaded a peaceful town on my orders, I was horror struck but that didn't compare to when I found out about the father that had been killed. Before that, we had only been going against the Fire Nation's army. No civilian was ever caught up in the fighting and that meant no civilian casualties as well. But nothing lasts forever." M.S. Jiayi looked to the ground, her voice taking on a sad note. "We were all so happy about our accomplishment of keeping civilians out of it, whether they were Earth Kingdom or Fire Nation. We thought nothing of it when we received some intel about a branch of the Fire Nation army swinging around to avoid us. We all agreed to bring the fight to them. My commanders and I. We picked a spot where we could ambush them, then we marched. It took us two and half days to reach it but we managed to beat them to it. We were itching, ready to go when we all heard footsteps. We had failed to see that there was a coal mining village close to where the Fire Nation chose to march. We jumped out and before we all realized what was going on, one of my men killed an innocent man. I don't remember if he was Fire Nation or Earth Kingdom but the fact is, is that he was _not_ a soldier. I delivered his body myself along with enough money for a funeral and to get the family through a year. I wish I could have given them more but it was all I had on me. I punished the soldier who had killed the man. He didn't even cry out. He felt just as horrified as the rest of us.

"After that, I marched them to meet the enemy and engage them. We won but we didn't feel like it was a victory. We got back to command, told them what happened and they just brushed it off. It infuriated us all to where I managed to scrounge up discharge papers and we all walked out of there. They begged me to stay but I couldn't. I wondered around until I made it to this place and the previous Mother Superior let me stay, despite knowing what I'd already done. That's why I let you stay for those few months but also because you brought Jin Yu and he needed all the care that you weren't able to give him."

Ling was speechless as Mother Superior Jiayi told her all that she had. Ling had filled in the cracks long ago but had no idea what had _really_ happened. "I-I never knew."

The older woman placed her hand on Ling's shoulder. "I know, child."

There was just something bothering Ling. "You never really said how you managed to move past it. I know you said working here helps but-"

"It never really passes." The older woman told her. "I had killed men before but killing an innocent? That was the day it all changed for me. My whole perspective on life."

"If the Fire Nation came too close to here, would you fight again?" Ling asked.

M.S. Jiayi's voice hardened as if the woman's vocal chords had turned to stone. "Of course I would. There is no way I'm letting _anyone_ touch this place."

"Would you fight alongside the Avatar?" Ling asked and M.S. Jiayi gave her a long look.

"What are you getting at, child?"

"With the Avatar back, when he goes to take on the Fire Lord, would you fight alongside him?" Ling finally asked.

M.S. Jiayi was quiet for a little bit but looked at Ling with steel in her eyes. "It would be my honor. There's one more secret that you must know." She added and Ling cocked her head to the side. The woman pulled out a pai sho tile from the sleeve of her robe. Ling's eyes widened as she beheld what she was seeing. "I'm also a member of the Order of the White Lotus. We've been keeping track of the Avatar and what he's doing. It seems he got himself an earth-bending teacher." A small smile had made its way onto her face.

Ling's mouth just hung open like a fish until she abruptly closed it. "Tha-That's good." She tried to sound composed but ended up sounding like someone who was awestruck.

M.S. Jiayi nodded. "Soon he'll need a fire-bending teacher."

"I don't know if I'm a good fit. I kind of cheated in a way." Ling looked at the ground as she spoke.

"Fire-bending is still fire-bending." The older woman told her as she got up and began to walk away.

"Mother Superior Jiayi?" Ling called out. The woman turned back around with a peaceful smile on her face. "Thank you." Ling told her.

"You're welcome. Now get to bed. Just because we had this talk doesn't mean you get to freeload the rest of the time you're here." The older woman winked at her and a giggle escaped Ling.

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

Ling _was_ going to go to bed but her brother was already in her room. She quietly shut the door and went to sit next to him.

Neither said anything for a while but just sat in each other's company, taking the time to just _be_ there in that moment. It'd been too long since she'd last seen him and they both knew that she couldn't stay very long. She never gave him any false promises like she'd seen many do already but instead she told him that when she was able, she would take him with her but as for right now, this was the best place for him.

She knew that he didn't really mind it here as he had his books and scrolls and even some friends but she knew that he also wanted to have an adventure. _One day_ , she promised herself, _one day I'll take you with me._

"I saw you walking with Jiayi." Jin Yu said.

"That's Mother Superior Jiayi to you." She gave him a gentle nudge that he returned.

There was another long silence before he spoke again. "What were you two talking about?" His voice was just bored curiosity but Ling could detect something underneath. That little flicker of hope he always got when he thought she was going to take him with her.

"My past as well as hers'." She told him.

"So, not yet." It was more a question than a statement and Ling nodded.

"Not yet." She confirmed.

"Okay. It gives me more time to study strategies anyways." Jin Yu shrugged and Ling hugged him.

"I'm proud of you. You do know that, right?" Ling asked and felt Jin Yu nod.

"And I'm proud of you too. I just wish I could be there with you, especially when that admiral threatened you." He said it so seriously that Ling smiled to herself.

"Oh? Does the bookworm even know how to fight?" She teased him but something in his countenance changed and she furrowed her brows. "Jin?"

He was hesitant as he responded. "About that…"

Ling pushed herself back enough to where she could look him in the eye. "What aren't you telling me?" She asked him as if his answer would mean life or death. For both of them.

"Well, Jia-Mother Superior Jiayi has been teaching me how to fight for the past few months." He told her and Ling just slumped on her bed. "I asked her just in case there's an attack or something; the fighting lines are closer now and all the sisters' keep a watchful eye out. They don't say anything but all the kids feel that it's just a matter of time before they make their way here."

Ling blew out a sigh and turned back to her brother. "Just promise me one thing?" A nod. "Don't you even dare think about joining the army. If there's even an utterance of you wanting to join I will have Mother Superior Jiayi see to it personally." Ling watched as her brother's eyes got wide at her tone, one she hardly ever used on him, and nodded. "Thank you. Now I believe it's way past both our bedtimes-"

"Can I sleep with you?" Jin Yu asked sheepishly. "I've missed you." He added and Ling couldn't bring herself to say 'no'. Not with those big emerald orbs looking up at her. She silently cursed herself and her brother.

"Fine, but if you kick me at all, you'll end up sleeping on the floor." Ling threatened but they both knew it was empty.

They laid down with Ling on the side facing the door and Jin Yu facing the wall. If anyone came in, Ling would be the first line of defense.

Everything was quiet until Jin spoke up. "Hey," Ling gave a noncommittal noise and he took it as her telling him to go on. "You're leaving again soon, aren't you?"

The sadness in his voice caused Ling to turn around and face her brother. "You know I have to. I can't stay here too long."

"It's only because of me that you can't-"

Ling interjected before Jin Yu could finish his sentence. "No!" She fixed her brother with a stern glare. "It was _my_ choice. You had no part in it." She fixed her brother's face between her hands. "Understand this, Jin Yu, you are by _no means_ at fault for what I did."

Jin Yu nodded and hugged her. She hugged him back as tightly as she could without breaking him. "Now get some sleep. Tomorrow, we're sparring."

* * *

Ling woke earlier than Jin Yu, dressed, and went on a run. She hadn't been on one since they left Song's village. When she got back, Jin Yu and Iroh were eating breakfast in her room and laughing about something.

"I can't believe she actually beat you at pai sho! She's terrible at it!" Jin Yu exclaimed when his laughter subsided.

"Hey, I've actually gotten a lot better, you brat!" Ling yelled at her brother who just laughed even harder. She threw a pillow at him. She gave Iroh an exasperated look. "Tell him!"

Iroh chuckled. "It's true, she is a whole lot better than she used to be."

Jin Yu just held his hands up in surrender as Ling sat next to him and grabbed a bowl of fruits that they had saved for her.

"I tell you what," Iroh began as he stroked his beard. "That Mother Superior Jiayi is one scary lady." Ling and Jin Yu both chuckled at that.

"Of course she is. She only commanded a huge part of the Earth Kingdom army." Ling said as she peeled an orange. "I wouldn't want to go up against her in battle."

"Me neither!" Iroh exclaimed which only sent them all into another round of laughter.

"Jin Yu," Ling said when they finally got control of themselves again. "Don't eat too much. Remember, we have a sparring match today."

Jin Yu nodded. "Agni kai or no holds barred?"

"You're pick."

Jin Yu thought for a moment. "Agni kai. No weapons."

Ling smirked at him. "What kind of agni kai has weapons?" She asked innocently.

Jin Yu stuck his tongue out at her. "Your kind." He answered and Ling ruffled his hair. He batted her hand away and left to go do his chores.

"He's a good kid." Iroh told her.

"Yeah, he is, and that's why I'm trying to keep him from the fighting as long as I can. He wants to be a scholar, so I will do everything in my power to make that happen."

Iroh regarded her for a minute as she started to clean up her room.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" She asked and he silently shook his head.

"It's just that you put on this façade of you being selfish but you're not selfish in the least." Iroh said thoughtfully as he stroked his beard.

"No, I am one of the most selfish people on the planet." Ling told him matter-of-factly. "I'm just selfish in a different way than what most are used to seeing in other people." Ling finished cleaning her room by laying out her weapons on her bed. "What do you think Zuko's doing right about now?" She not-so-smoothly changed the subject.

Iroh looked somewhat taken aback but quickly composed himself. "Well, about that…"

Iroh quieted as Ling held up a hand. "I know you contacted the White Lotus about his whereabouts." Ling chuckled at the old man's slightly widened eyes. "You forget that I'm also a member and you also didn't know that Mother Superior Jiayi was also a senior member, as you are."

"How did I miss that?" He asked, more to himself but Ling answered anyways.

"She was one of the Elite members when she was in her twenties. She just went by a different name. Don't say it!" She quickly added as Iroh had just remembered it and was about to blurt it out.

"Why not?"

"She doesn't go by it anymore and I don't know what she would do if she heard it. She's where I got the idea to go by Ling."

"And does she know about you being the famous Fire Empress, Shihong Sya?"

"Who do you think gave me the name?" Ling smirked at the old man. "She _did_ fight against the Fire Nation, you know. Unfortunately, during the time I was the Fire Empress, there weren't any Fire Nation ships in the waters that I patrolled but I had to satisfy my crew somehow." She lamented but they both knew she wasn't particularly sad about it.

"They're attacking Fire Nation ships now." Iroh said, his voice dipping low with caution. "The pirate ships that flew the flag of the Fire Empress, I mean."

"On my orders." Ling told him as she turned to face him now. Iroh sat back down in his chair. "You never asked if I was still in contact with them nor did you ask if I would go back to that way of life." Ling shrugged as Iroh looked at her as if she were a totally different person and she supposed she was for what she had just revealed to him. "Nothing's changed but your perception." She told him and he nodded, his face not betraying any emotion.

"So, I'm guessing that I can't tell Zuko or another living soul." A question asked in the form of a statement. Ling just nodded and Iroh chuckled to himself. "I've kept so many secrets so far that I suppose another won't hurt."

"You're not going to report me to the Fire Nation?" Ling questioned. "I'm pretty sure that you could or maybe even Zuko would get pardoned for bringing me in. We both know your brother would just be _overjoyed_."

"Perhaps, but I have come to realize that the Fire Nation is not the glorious nation that I once thought it was." Iroh told her and she nodded in understanding.

"Anyways," Ling said as she steered the conversation in another direction. "I only know that you contacted the White Lotus, not what they said."

"Zuko seems to be fine but the last place he was at, he's left it already and is heading northeast."

"Ba Sing Se?"

"No idea but it seems the Avatar was spotted heading in that direction as well."

"Probably not Ba Sing Se yet, but maybe somewhere close by."

"Maybe."

"Well, either way, we're sure to cross paths again." Ling said and Iroh hummed in agreement. "Jin Yu should be done with his chores by now. I promised him we would spar." With that, she left the room wondering what the future held for her.

* * *

She found Jin Yu in the main courtyard and followed him outside of the compound. The main inner courtyard was sacred ground and no violence was allowed unless they couldn't help it, i.e. an invasion.

"No bending, no weapons." Jin Yu stated as they moved to opposite sides of the field.

"First round, no bending. Second round, bending. You need to learn how to fight a bender." Ling countered and Jin Yu nodded.

They both walked to their respective sides and got in their stances. They bowed to each other and Ling moved first. She ran at Jin Yu only to feint to the left and attack from the right. He barely dodged but she was impressed. Hardly anyone could dodge that move since she was so fast. Her body moved of its own accord and swept his legs out from under him. Jin Yu managed to turn his fall into a roll and jumped back up. As he did, he aimed a kick at her head but she grabbed his ankle and flung him to the other side of the field. He got up quickly and ran at her in an attempt to slide-tackle her. She dodged by jumping but not before he grabbed her hand and she landed hard on the ground.

By now they had attracted a crowd and Ling could distantly hear cheering but she pushed the noise out and focused on her brother who was smirking at her. She grabbed his wrist and pulled him down while she used the palm of her hand to slam into his right shoulder blade. He let out a yelp and quickly rolled away. Ling didn't let him get in his stance before she slammed her palm into his chest, flinging him back a few feet. She hadn't meant to do that and she almost ran over to him but he was getting up again. She mentally sighed in relief and took her stance again.

Ling was the first to kick start round two. She threw a medium sized fireball at Jin Yu, who dodged and grinned at her. She grinned back and sent a volley of regular sized fireballs at him. His clothes got singed but his skin was fine. Jin Yu was now glaring at her but she just smirked right back. They continued this dance a little longer until Jin got close enough for hand to hand combat but Ling didn't let up on her bending. Jin Yu was able to redirect her wrists but Ling was learning his pattern. As he made to sweep her wrist to the side again she grabbed his wrist and kicked her leg out to stop just shy of his throat. A small plume of fire, that would hardly harm a fly, ended the second round. Jin Yu's eyes were wide but he hadn't let out a cry or anything of the like. Ling was extremely proud of him.

"You have long way to go but I'll say that you've learned well." Ling told her brother who beamed at the praise.

"I know." He said as he hugged her and all of his friends came running toward him, commenting on how well he did.

Ling let him bask in the praise of his peers and went to where Iroh was standing. The old man looked thoughtful but didn't seem perturbed by anything. "You know," he began as she reached him, "you never really see a scholar that can fight. It's almost unheard of."

"War does strange things to us all. I'm going to go shower." She told the old man who just nodded. "Oh, and we're leaving tomorrow." That garnered a reaction from him.

"We are?"

"Yeah, it's about time we moved on. We can't live on their hospitality forever and we need to find your nephew before he gets himself into some trouble." Ling told him and Iroh just nodded.

"What about your brother?"

She looked to the boy in question then looked back at the old man. "He already knows."

"Very well then."

Ling walked off towards her room to shower.

That night Jin Yu wouldn't let go of her as they slept and woke early enough to make her breakfast in bed. They joked and needled each other with Jin Yu hurrying to go do his chores. When he returned, she gave him one of her daggers with a whisper of "don't tell Mother Superior Jiayi!". "Jin Yu had laughed at that and told her that he would at least wait until she was at least two days away. Ling had punched him lightly on the arm and hugged him close, telling him again about how much she loved him. He'd hugged her back and they sat there like that until Iroh knocked on the door and told Ling that they should get going before the heat of the day set in.

Jin Yu, Mother Superior Jiayi, some of the children, and some of the sisters walked the two to the front gates wishing them safe travels. Ling and Iroh both waved goodbye and thanked them for their hospitality before they set off to find Zuko.


End file.
